Why Do I Love You
by Clairavance
Summary: Sequel to I Hate Everything About You.
1. V: acquaintances

**_All the right friends in all the right places  
All the right moves in all the right faces_**

* * *

It had always been a dance of dominance between the two of us. I presume that things had always been this way because I can't recall a time when it was any different. Always, or often enough, our goal was the same; our methods, however, of achieving said goal were quite opposite.

Dante wanted to follow in Sparda's footsteps. Protect mankind, reach his full potential and go beyond the limits, fall in love with someone who could handle him and his heritage, accept him for who and what he is.

I wanted the same. My way of getting to Point B was vastly unlike my brother's.

I'm not an asshole. Everything I did was for her. I can't be crucified for reaping the rewards of my labour. I gave her solace when she needed it. I tutored her in the way of swordsmanship ; I taught her self-defence and about the demon world. She wouldn't have accomplished half the things she has if it hadn't been for my input, like gambling at a now-extinct demon club, or her most impressive feat yet – leading the prince of hell straight to my front door.

It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for. I'd always known she had the ability to destroy, the competence that, once pushed to it, she would kill. Dante had willingly been blind to it.

You can't love someone if you can't fully accept them as they are. You can't love someone without knowing them. Lust, it seemed, has been a convenient substitute for love.

Had Dante seen what I have, he would put a bullet in her head. Had he known what I knew, he would have hunted her down. He truly had no idea. This is a positive thing. Some things need to be sacrificed to keep control.  
Sparda sacrificed his freedom for ours. Eva sacrificed a life with us to build a new one in an undisclosed location with our younger sibling. Kat gave up communication with me to appease a jealous and insecure Dante. I sacrificed my doppelganger to satisfy Cora's thirst for vengeance.

I'm the only one who holds this truth. The rest of the world is under the illusion that Sparda mysteriously disappeared and that Eva had died in the onslaught. Even the genius Mundus believes he, in his words, 'fucked Sparda over and feasted on the whore Eva's beating heart'. I guess the heart of a doppelganger tastes no different from that of the real thing. Nor do the screams sound any different.

It took me slightly off guard to see Cora venture into the demon realm, time and time again, merely to watch my doppelganger being 'tortured'. It was all a put-on, though few are privy to this knowledge. I have a legion on my side who do both my bidding and report to me. The demon realm, just like the human realm, revolved around the ladder of fame and success. If you had the right connections, you could get anywhere, do anything, with a snap of your fingers.

I digress. Cora's visits grew tiresome and worrisome as she grew frailer every time she came by, and stayed longer every time. Until she threatened the life of our child. Perhaps she did so for spite, but all things considered, I couldn't risk her following through with it.

Naturally, I had her followed. Arranged a phone call from the hospital claiming they had found abnormalities in the womb. As I'd predicted, Cora went straight to hospital, despite the dangers she would be putting herself and the child in. Revenge made people dumb. I still don't quite know what her plan was. I had her induced. I was in the other room as my daughter took her first breath of air. I was the shadow behind the wall that Cora never noticed because she never looked for it.

I had them kept in hospital for a while. Cora a couple of weeks. Karla, as I named her, for just over a month. Cora came in once since her discharge. Whether it was to see if Karla was still alive, or to contemplate some scheme to smuggle her out and to the demon realm, I didn't know. I found a pair, among my subjects, who had proven themselves worthy of my trust. Linard, an old shapeshifting elemental, and Imara, one of the most powerful witches under my watch. I appointed them, in human world terminology, as the foster parents of Karla.

Cora had been overjoyed when the call was made to inform her that her daughter would be put up for adoption. She didn't bother to find out who or where, which suited me fine. I had the peace and freedom to raise my legacy. But as Karla grew into a powerful person of her own, I watched Cora diminish year by year until I could scarcely recognise the girl she'd once been.

I had the cure. It would still be effective. I could-

"Must be really good. What is that, a porno?"

-kill my brother.

I pointedly looked at him across the rim of the papers I held in my hands. I hadn't heard him come into the office. His red leather coat was scorched and marred with holes, his vest shredded. He barely spared me a glance as he stomped across the room, a glass of whisky in hand, to the bathroom.

"I believe they call it erotica," I said and returned my gaze to the pages before me.

What had I been doing again? I scanned the page I was on, trying to grasp onto my train of thought before it had got derailed by memories of Cora. The picture of Karla, beaming from ear to ear at the camera, caught my eye again.

_Karla S. has been chosen to represent Fortuna High with the Education Board at the next Council Meeting. Fortuna High's straight A-student and President of the Mathematics Club…_

I didn't bother to continue reading and looked to the photo of a group of young men on the page opposite.

**Nominees for White Knight Training**

It didn't surprise me that they neglected to put Nero's name in the list below the photograph. He looked at odds with the others with his mop of unkempt white hair and his hunched shoulders. He didn't look at the camera and, for all intents and purposes, looked like he really didn't want to be there.

"So is it?" Dante asked.

I sighed and turned the newspaper for him to see. He'd shed his coat, vest and gloves, and had that infuriatingly sly look on his face. He snatched the paper from me and scanned it for less than a second before throwing it back onto my lap.

"The kids are doing well," Dante said and went to slump on his couch.

"That's not what I'm showing you," I retorted.

"I know," Dante said and tipped back his glass.

* * *

**A/N: I didn't realise I was writing Vergil until I hit a block after the first two paragraphs and tried to make sense of it. Only once I accepted that it's Vergil was I able to continue writing this chapter. To make it straightforward from hereon, I'll label the chapters with the character point of view. You'll see what I mean. Hope you like and review some more!**


	2. C: Never ending quest

**_When the walls come down  
You'll know I'm here to stay_**

* * *

Hell gates were easy to locate when you had the mind for it. The same couldn't be said about the rifts between the human world and the demon world. They were little pockets of third dimensions that few humans knew of, and even less demons.

You had to have the right contacts to track these down, had to know how to cross the veil. Demons went there to get away from the restrictions of hell and the bloodthirsty mercenaries of the human world. Kurst called it his time-out zone, I called it demon heaven.

Because, let's face the reality: there was no place on earth or hell where human beings and devils served good food and wine to humans and devils in the same vicinity. These secret pockets were the only places where either kind could find peace.

Some were turned into underground stores that sold the illegal stuff – holy water and devil arms to demons, demon orbs of power and immortality to humans, demonically customized arsenal and spies of all kinds for those in search of informants. Some were turned into pubs where human and demon alike lounged on bar stools with a beer or two.

I was staring down a hunched, scrawny and bald demon with golden snake-slit eyes; waxy, pealing skin that clung to its bones like it had no flesh or muscle beneath. It looked like some anorexic demon doll that someone had given up on completing. It was nothing much to look at, except for the tight, black latex corset and matching leather trousers it wore. It looked ridiculous, trying to pass off as human or demon, yet not befitting either.

A jukebox with a statue of a gargoyle holding a trumpet was playing dubstep to my left. Between myself and the demon were two shelves holding liquor, energy drinks and wines, illuminated by blue halogen lights. A familiar human girl with raven black hair braided with red ribbon gracefully settled onto the stool beside the demon, and gave it a friendly yet cautious nudge with her shoulder.

"Expecting Kurst, are we?"

I tore my gaze from my reflection in the mirrored wall to look at her. "No. I've been waiting just for you, witchy-girl." I straightened up slightly and spun on my seat to face her. "Was that lead legit or just another dead end?"

"It wasn't the one you're looking for," the girl said apologetically. "She fit the description but she wasn't a witch."

"How could she fit the description but not be a witch?" I asked, confused. "She dealt with Dante, didn't she?"

"Her name is Heather, and the only connection she has with Dante was hiring his services a year ago for a personal problem of sorts."

I sighed and reached for the half-empty bottle of Heineken on the bar counter. "That sucks."

"If it's any consolation, she did recommend him."

I paused with the bottle pressed against my lips, and sent her a sidelong glare. "Hmm."

"She said he was very good-"

"I'm sorry, how is this supposed to be consoling again, Hazel?" I interrupted curtly, contemplating bashing the bottle over her head in annoyance. "I mean, let's just forget for a minute that he's a _legendary demon hunter _and think about what we're doing here.'

Hazel held her hands up in surrender, shaking her head. "Alright…"

"I'm trying to track down a witch that he is very close to," I said, reining back my temper and softening. "He's the only lead I've got to find _her_. It would take one little slip-up to give away that I'm stalking him and spying on him, and he'll _hunt me down,_ easy."

"Alright, I know, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way," Hazel stammered, and gave my arm a reassuring squeeze. "I've got your back, Cora."

Hazel ordered a cocktail and I put another beer on my tab. We sat in companionable silence, watching the goings on in the pub around us. The dance floor was packed with people, succubae and incubi weaving through tables with platters loaded with their orders. Hazel's mobile went off and I sat waiting, after finishing my fourth beer, for her to finish chattering on it.

"You're sure he didn't follow you?" I asked when she flipped her mobile phone off and opened her purse.

"Invisibility spell, Cora. There's no way he would have been able to follow me, and besides," Hazel huffed, "he wasn't there when I snuck in to find Heather's address in his records."

"Just thought I'd ask," I muttered, noting the indignant look in her dark eyes. "Give me a call if you find anything."

"You know I will," Hazel said, shaking her head at me. "Wait! You're leaving already? Kurst hasn't even shown up yet."

I slipped off my stool, slightly unsteady on my feet, and fumbled with my shades for a second before hiding my eyes behind the black lenses. "I've told you a thousand times, Hazel, I don't come here for him."

I made my way carefully to the portal on the other side of the pub, mumbling under my breath at a couple of familiar voices bidding me farewell, and collected my worn-out wool coat at the exit. I pulled it on, put my head down and marched through the portal. A slight of a second later I was weaving my way through the busy foot traffic of the human world during lunch hour.

I loved Fortuna. The cobblestone streets, the ornate and clustered houses and apartments and stores lining said streets, most of which had spectacular views of the harbour. It was a modest, humble and nearly over-populated city. Easy to blend in; easy to become lost in.

My home was a one bedroom studio apartment on the top floor of a building right across from the council chambers. I had a good view of the sunrise and ocean from one window, and an even better view of the uncovered courtyard within the council chambers where the Order trained their knights.

I had naught but an old, dingy couch as my furnishings. It was all I needed. I felt neither hot nor cold, pain or discomfort, hunger or thirst. I existed in numbness. The only solace I had was that, if I had enough alcohol in my system, I'd pass out. My brain simply shut itself down and I could drift, and at least pretend that I was asleep.

Which is exactly what I was doing on my beloved couch when I heard the door open quietly. I could tell who it was by the scent alone, and groaned inwardly.

"Hey, Mom."

I breathed hard through my nose and slumped my arm across my face. "_Cora_," I snarled back.

"Whatever. I brought some leftovers. We had lasagne last night."

"Trash it."

"Just _smell_ it, Mom."

I let out another long breath and peeked at the teenager sitting cross-legged on the floor. She was staring back at me with eyes as pale and blue as iced glaciers, an expectant look on her young face.

"I don't smell anything," I admitted, and closed my eyes against the disappointment on her face. "Go home, Dez."

"I found this place online…"

"I don't care."

"… that have a lot of Wiccan recipes listed, and places where I can get the ingredients. They even have a consultation office so I could go in and have them mix up something specifically targeted to what we need."

"You're not actually going to go to some place you found on the internet, are you?" I grumbled, and turned onto my side to finally look at her properly. She was wearing a long, flowing black skirt and a pretty lace blouse, her mass of blood-red hair pulled back in a thick braid, and her sharp, regal features fell into despondence at my words. "What if it's a trap?"

"You always say that," Dez said sulkily. "And it never is."

"It never is because you never walk into it. You're smarter than that."

"Well," Dez said.

I arched my eyebrows at her expectantly, waiting for her to pose her perspective or challenge me. We stared at one another for another moment. Dez backed down first, lowering her gaze as she shrugged her bag off and opened it in her lap. She sat with pursed lips.

"Homework?" I asked when she pulled a few sheets of paper from her bag.

"Uh. Sure."

I eyed her suspiciously and snatched one of the papers up. I scanned the contents briefly and scrunched the recipe up into a ball. "Desdemona, child! We've been through this before. Once I find Kat, I'll find the cure. There's no need and no point in going through all the trouble of consulting witches."

"But what if one of them already made a cure for this kind of thing…"

"They haven't."

"But how can you be so sure?" Dez exploded. "Times have changed, we have new technology, we're not living in ancient history where it took a week to brew a cure anymore."

"It took them longer than a week, and the answer is still no," I snapped, and continued on when she riled herself up for a comeback. "I didn't tell you about Kat or the cure so that you can try act the hero."

"That's what you think I'm trying to do?" Dez stared up at me, furious.

"I think you're putting yourself unnecessarily at risk."

"At risk of _what_, Mom? You're always on about my safety and monsters but I've never been attacked by a demon. Not even _one._"

"You're welcome," I huffed, and threw the ball of paper across the room.

"I'm just trying to help. Why won't you let me help you?"

"Dezi, I have been trying really, really hard to give you the kind of life I think you deserve. One that doesn't revolve around demons and violence. One that is filled with school, and friends, and boys – I mean, do you honestly believe you could have any normal relationship with whatshisface if you had to be running and hiding from demons all the time?"

Dez's face flushed and she gathered up her papers, stuffing them back into her bag whilst shaking her head in frustration. "You never listen to me. His name is Nero, and _we're friends_, I told you."

"Right. Friends," I teased lightly, watching her climb to her feet and head for the door. "Dez, promise you won't do anything stupid. I can only keep you as safe as you let me. If you go out of range, the concealment spell will break and half the demon world will be after your blood."

"Half the demon world, really, that's so melodramatic, mother," she said over her shoulder.

"Not when it comes to Sparda's legacy."

"What a fucking legacy," Dez snapped and slammed the door shut behind her.

I sighed into the peaceful silence and stared at the door, debating whether or not to follow. Then again, I was a little tipsy. I wouldn't be very good at the whole stealthy thing if I was going to be wobbling all over the show.

Besides, Dez wasn't reckless. Cheeky, courageous and tough, but she knew the limits.

I closed my eyes and allowed my mind to wander. Funny, how it always ended up at Sparda's front door. The mansion was as impressive as per memory recalls; and Eva with her warm smile and soft eyes, the way she was before everything went to hell; and Rambo. My poor, beloved pup. Eva and I had doted on him.

And Dante.

Devilishly handsome, witty, young and stupid Dante. I still couldn't think of him without some part of me hurting. And, inevitably, when Dante came to mind, so did that bastard Vergil. Which made me think of Sparda, chained down in a roasting hell hole like some pig getting branded and prepped for slaughter…

Damn it.

I opened my eyes and sat up, gripping the upholstery of the couch angrily. I stared out the window at the horizon without really seeing it. I screwed up. I was never fond of Sparda, but I had never meant for him to get dragged down with Vergil.

Neither had I ever thought that Mundus was capable of keeping Sparda imprisoned. I'd wholeheartedly believed that he would break free, and hand Mundus's ass to him on a plate. I really did.

I wiped my hand over my face, and resolutely got to my feet. There had been too many things going on in this realm for me to bother going to the demon realm. I had, at first, loved to go there, to bask in my vengeance. To go to bed at night with the echo of Vergil's screams fresh in my mind.

I left my studio, and shook my head as I made my way down the elevator to the ground floor. I could still smell Dez – her scent was like neon painted footprints across the white vinyl floor, and I followed it from the building. She was at home, her real home with the foster parents who had taken her in as their own when she was still in nappies.

I spotted her through the dining room window as I walked past, where she sat at the table, scribbling furiously in a book. She glanced up and looked back at me with the face of every annoyed teenager in the world before I passed by the house.

Good girl.

The streets were busy with people getting preparations ready for the weekly mass gathering in the old cathedral the following morning. They always had a huge feast organised for after the service. It was stupid, petty and redundant because they did this gibberish every week, without fail.

Sometimes, hell did seem a more appealing place to be.

* * *

**What? Who? Huh?**

**Next chapter will bring some clarity. **

**Thank you for reading and thank you thank you thank you for reviewing! :D**


	3. V: The Bitter taste of you

**_I'm too young to lose my soul  
I'm too young to feel this old_**

* * *

When I returned home later that evening, it was to the welcoming aromas of good home cooking. Imara was bustling about in the kitchen while Linard reported on Karla. I placed Yamato on the kitchen table and undid my gloves, listening intently.

"She followed her usual routine of the day. School, swimming lessons, piano lessons…" Linard cleared his throat and I paused to look at him. "I waited in the usual position for her after, but she somehow evaded the radar and," he swallowed hard, his gaze wavering anxiously to the ground, "for half an hour it was as if she'd disappeared."

I pursed my lips and placed my gloves carefully on the table. "Teleportation?"

"No, sir."

"A rift?" I asked.

"No, sir. I don't know how she did it."

"She's safe and unharmed, correct?"

"Yes, sir, of course, sir."

"Keep a closer eye on her from hereon. Don't compensate the radar for your own sight. Technology is easy to hack and disrupt these days."

"Yes, sir."

"Where did you find her?" I asked when it seemed Linard was not about to go on.

"The council chambers. She was watching the knights in training, sir."

"What interest does she have there?" I asked, shrugging out of my coat.

"She refuses to say, sir," Linard said and took my coat.

"Where is she?"

"In the study, sir."

The house was pleasantly warm, the chandeliers giving off a rich, golden glow that added to the comfort. It was far smaller than I was accustomed to, but finding property in Fortuna was a hard feat. You took what you could get. I was still fairly dissatisfied with it, but Karla had grown too attached to it for me to mention selling it.

I found her brooding in front of the computer. She sat hunched over, legs crossed and swinging restlessly, one manicured hand on the mouse and the other distractedly detangling her long crimson hair from its braid. I walked closer and leaned over her to see what she was looking at.

"Dad!" She yelped, startled, quickly leaning back from the monitor.

I flicked her hand off the mouse before she could attempt to hide whatever she'd been doing. I frowned at the screen.

"What is this nonsense?"

"It's for school!" Karla snapped.

"They teach witchcraft at school now?" I asked, and glanced down at her. "Scoot."

Karla leapt from the chair and flicked her hair back in annoyance. "Why don't you ever knock, Dad?"

"There's no point if you're simply going to send me away," I said absent-mindedly, checking over her internet history. "What are you searching for?"

"A recipe."

"For what spell?"

"Does it matter?"

"Imara can be of a lot more help than Google, I'm certain." I swivelled the seat around to look at her. "Take a seat."

"I didn't do anything wrong," Karla protested even as she sank down on the edge of her bed.

"Didn't you?" I asked, pressing my fingers together. I tilted my head to the side and studied her nervous demeanour. "How did you slip by Linard today?"

"It's a concealment spell," Karla said flatly.

"Oh," I said, arching my eyebrows expectantly.

"Not my doing. Someone else cast it over me. I've been trying to find a way to… track down who done it. Hence the witchcraft."

"How long have you been aware of this spell being cast over you?" I asked curiously.

"Not very long."

"Alright," I sighed and leaned back in the chair. "You needn't tell me. I'll source out what is going on by other means."

"Dad-" Karla's blue eyes widened in panic.

"What were you doing at the council chambers?"

"Watching the knights training, just like every other girl in school," Karla said with a roll of her eyes. "But Dad, listen, please, could you stay out of-"

"It has nothing to do with a boy, does it?" I cut in.

"Oh, sure, Credo is pretty hot," Karla said, and for a moment it was like she was sending spears of fire through her glare.

"Not ready for that talk yet, I assume?" I said lightly. Her face flushed bright pink and I smiled at her obvious embarrassment.

"Dad…"

"I'm kidding, love," I said reassuringly.

"You're almost as bad as Dante!" Karla said, her shoulders sagging in relief.

"Am I?" I asked, getting up from the chair.

"Kind of!" Karla deflated.

"It sounds like dinner is ready." I walked to the door and sent a glance at her black, dusty skirt. "Change before you come down."

"One thing before you go." Karla's voice caught me right outside the door. I turned around with a sigh. "I wanted to ask…. Have you ever tried to find her?"

I folded my arms across my chest and leaned against the doorframe. Why did she keep bringing this up? Was it simply part of being a teenager to ask the same question repeatedly, despite the answer never changing?

"No," I said. "There is no need for her."

"Isn't there?" Karla asked tiredly.

"You have Imara."

"Why haven't you ever looked for her, Dad?"

"I see no point," I gestured with my hand and shook my head when Karla started to protest. "Karla, there are certain things about your mother that I'd rather you not know. That you wouldn't want to know."

"Like why she left us?" Karla asked, hugging her arms to herself.

This was, habitually, when I would choose to walk out of the conversation. She wanted to know too much. I didn't want to paint Cora in a bad light, but then there was no way to soften the truth. The truth hurt.

"She left me," I said awkwardly.

Karla blinked at me, the momentary surprise in her gaze turning to ice.

"She left you because of me," I added.

"So what did you do?"

"What I had to. What I believed was best but… she never saw it that way."

"Maybe she didn't see it that way because you never bothered to explain," Karla said bluntly. She looked away from me. "Like how you're being all vague about telling me what happened between you two, or why you're trying to hide things from me."

"You really want the truth?"

She looked at me sharply.

"Your mother hated me. She wanted me, and everything that reminded her of me, out of her life. That included you, Karla. It is her loss and your benefit. She would have made a terrible mother."

"Dad, how could you say that-"

"Get dressed and come down for dinner. I have plans tonight and I can't afford to dawdle," I said and closed the door behind me with a firm bang.

* * *

**Hope you're all with me.**


	4. C: Apocalyptic

**_In the end  
Everything collides_**

* * *

You never see these things coming until they're right on top of you.

I went for a stroll through hell to break away from the human world; visited a mute, lethargic and faded Vergil for probably the shortest time in history, went down to the lower levels and got into a fight. It wasn't my fault. One minute I heard Sparda's screams echoing behind me as I made my way through an old fossil-like building, the next I was surrounded by high ranking demons who obviously had no clue who I was. I'm the one who put Sparda there. I had every right to be on that level, that close to where he was bound and chained, but you can't exactly sit down with a cup of tea and explain these things to a bunch of demons heady with power. I got roughed up pretty badly, and I barely managed to take down one out of eight. I disappeared into one of the rifts to lick my wounds and take some time to recover myself. I wasn't there too long - maybe a couple of hours. Until I was able to breathe without gurgling blood in my chest, anyway. The looks that the demons and humans were giving me was too much.

I went back to hell, steering well and far clear of Sparda's level, with the intent to go find some safety and privacy where Vergil was. Only, hell seemed to be in some discorded chaos. It seemed less crowded, many of the demons were wounded, and some of the big names were _missing**.**_ You know, the ones who never actually left hell in a millenia - gone.

And to my horror, so was Vergil.

Nobody could tell me where he'd gone, or who had let him go, whether he was dead or still alive. Nobody could tell me anything because everyone was too busy rushing around. I would have called it the apocalypse - there was a massive, intense atmosphere of terror and hate, akin to the ambiance Sparda's capture had first generated.

The cherry on top was that Mundus had gone into hiding. His absence in the demon realm could physically be felt.

Vergil and Mundus both vanishing without a trace was not a good combination. I wanted to stay there longer to scour every inch of hell until I found Vergil, or that's what I kept telling my terrified subconscious. He was weak, probably completely delusional, I could entrap him again while he was near. Don't panic. I can do this.

But the problem was that he wasn't there. I knew it down to the knotting and churning in my gut. I had to get out of there and find him. The sooner I found him, the better - get him while he's down. Before he regains his strength and his mind. Before he decides to take revenge on me. Logically I knew this was true, but the concept of having to chase after him right then and there was daunting. I didn't spare myself much time debating how I would find him, because every minute in hell equated to several hours on earth.

So I sucked in a deep breath, made my way through the hellgate, and found the aftermath of some great catastrophe strewn over Fortuna.

My boots crunched over broken stone and gravel, the sound lonely and eerie in an otherwise ghost city. There was a thick dust in the air that made me want to choke. Buildings were cracked and broken, their roofs and windows scattered on the ground. Even the hellgates were in ruins. Had Mundus come traipsing through here? Where were all the people?

I heard gunshots and followed their song to where the courtyard outside the cathedral used to be. The fountain had been turned into a pond of water and stone, grit and gore; and a flaxen haired kid blew a herd of scarecrows into demon-dust with an impressively large pistol. There was another person with him, a vaguely familiar little maiden ogling behind his back as he very obviously showed off. I paused in my tracks in the shadows, trying to place a name to the face and discern if they were a threat to me, when something white-hot and searing hit me in the back.

I jerked forward and to the side, flattening myself against the wall, trying to free myself from whatever it was. A lightning bolt? A fiery arrow? What the hell could burn so hard?

My heart stopped (yes I'm pretty sure it did actually stop beating for a second) when I found what it was. He was lingering in the shadow of a doorway, and even though I couldn't see his face I could feel his eyes on me. His red coat was pulled back. I could see his hand resting at the girdle, the barrel of Ivory glinting threateningly. The whimper in the back of my throat was completely involuntary and I instinctively tried to make myself smaller. I was already beat up and bleeding from my tousle in hell. I thought he'd come at me, or say something cold. He didn't do anything. He just stood there, watching me from the building across the road, and I just stood there, paralyzed, staring at his boots.

And the throbbing burning sensation was nothing but his power pulsating from his form - clashing with my own power, and overwhelming it. It was sickening. I don't remember Sparda having that much power. I wanted to get out of there, but I could hardly make myself keep breathing.

Look away. Just look away. Just. Stop. Staring.

He tilted his head back against the door frame, but his gaze still anchored me to the ground.

"Yeah," he muttered.

What?

"I know what you mean."

Was he reading my mind or musing out loud?

"Well, no better time than now to hit the road and go chill out on some tropical cruise with a few hot babes in tow, wouldn't you say?" Dante said, pushing away from the door and stepping into the middle of the road. He turned around to face the door and spread his arms as he spoke.

"Tempting but I have Karla to attend to."

He was alive. And incredibly well for someone who'd been tortured for years on end. How long had I been in hell? Or rather, how long had he been on earth? His power was a thrumming buzz compared to Dante's, much more low key and, to my dismay, much more in my tastes. It didn't feel like he was going to stab me with it, anyway.

He had his back to me, hadn't noticed me, and he started in the opposite direction. I watched his blue coat sway around his ankles as he walked; watched it fall still when he paused suddenly to glance around at Dante.

"Trish has got it covered," Dante said with a nonchalant shrug. "I got her to evacuate the city before the party really got swinging. They're all probably toasting marshmallows and singing odes to Sparda." He started walking toward Vergil, and I felt a weight lifted from my lungs when Vergil didn't notice me either.

I slipped down the road and made the corner just as I heard Dante say, "What do you make of that? A demon running toward a gunfight instead of away."

"You're referring to the scarecrows?"

"Didn't you see the scaly little thing trying to splat itself against the wall?"

"Evidently not. What does it matter? Nero will deal with it."

"I guess it doesn't matter. Not yet."

"What?" Vergil asked edgily.

"I've seen it around before, quite often in the past few months. Someone broke into the office a couple of days ago and I'd wager that Scaly had something to do with it."

"You mean it's stalking you?" Vergil asked.

I inched further and deeper into the shadowed alley. This wasn't good. How could he be onto me? How did he even notice me? I was always so careful to stay away from the areas where I knew he would be.

"It would have to have intelligence to be purposely stalking you," Vergil added.

"Yeah I don't know about that, seeing how eager it was to run up and meet one of Nero's bullets. He's on a testosterone rush-"

"Kill it," Vergil cut in.

Oh shit.

"For being stupid?" Dante asked jokingly.

"I can't risk Karla's safety. If a demon has been following you around, you need to deal with it. Now."

There was a drain-hole along the gutter - one of those that were built into the stone and had no lid. It was a small, narrow space. I fell to my hands and knees, and carefully contorted my body and slowly squeezed myself into it, hoping that the creaking and popping of bones and joints wouldn't alert them to my location.

"I'm sure I'll see it around again-"

"Would you rather I put a restraining order in place?"

"You don't need to snap at me," Dante said. "I'll go find out what it wants-"

"And then get rid of it."

Dante let out the longest, harshest sigh. "Is that a fair call?"

"Demon, or Karla. I'd rather be safe than sorry, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, master."

I was in. My feet touched down to the bottom of the drain. There were two large sewage pipes, one heading toward the cathedral, the other toward the forest. I made my way toward the cathedral one, hoping that in choosing the one leading toward danger would throw Dante off my trail. The tunnel twisted and turned, and not slipping and splashing face first into the water was a struggle.

I passed three drain-grates before I finally decided it was safe to surface. I did it slowly and quietly, listening and stretching my senses for an inkling of Dante. When I lifted myself out of the sewage system, I was two blocks away from where my place used to be.

Used to be, because the entire building had come down. No big loss, I guess, considering I didn't really own anything but the four walls of my flat. But it left me out in the open.

A rift. I had to find a rift, get the hell out of here. Legendary demon hunter. Yeah. I had to get out of here before he tracked me down.

I didn't feel safe until I had found one, gulped down a couple of beers and took to the rest room to clean myself up as best I could. I had put my back out, getting into the sewer, and had to get one of the bigger demons in the pub to give me a good whack on the back to get it straight. And after a while with good company and intoxicating liquors, any fears I had diminished into nothingness.

What did it matter that Vergil was free? He couldn't find me here. And sowhat if Dante was hunting me - he'd have shown up by now if he knew how to find me. No, the only thing I had to worry about was where I was going to stay. Rift-hopping, maybe, was a temporary solution. Maybe if I went underground? It would be nice to be left in peace, like it had been before Dez had shown up at my door demanding why I'd put her up for adoption - funny story, I didn't put her up for adoption, I simply abandoned her at the hospital, but whatever floats her boat.

Yes. Especially to get away from Dez and her crazy little ideas of saving a demon from damnation. It wasn't until the fourth turnover of new patrons had started to fizzle out of the pub, that I was kindly asked to find another rift to spend my night.

No big deal. I'll go to the one in the forest. It was night when I stepped back into Fortuna. None of the residents had returned yet. There was no light aside from the stars in the sky - they looked brighter and bolder than I remember. Or maybe it was just easier to see them now with the streetlights gone. I wonder where that guy and girl had gone, if they were still in the city or had joined wherever the town folk had been evacuated to.

_Crunch._

I whipped around at the sound, ready to electrocute whatever dimwitted demon had followed me from the rift, and saw nothing but darkness. I listened intently. Something or someone had made that noise. It had, without a doubt, been a footstep.

"Who's there?" I called out.

Nothing.

I kept walking, faster now, intensely aware of my surroundings. Something was following me. I knew it, even though I could hear, see and sense nothing else. I was coming up to a bridge that led into the forest when I decided to pull a trick on whatever was on my case.

In a couple of seconds I melted into the shadows, softly dropped myself onto the dried riverbed below and twirled myself beneath - and into- the black mass of shadows under the bridge. Only the blackness had form and solidity, and I seemed to bounce right off it. I landed on my backside in surprise, on the river stones bathed in moonlight.

"Whoa, didn't see that coming."

My stomach made an awful turn and I tasted bile in the back of my throat. I scrambled away from the tall figure emerging from the shadows, every nerve of mine ringing in sheer panic. This was, in all my dreams, not how I'd envisioned we would meet again.

"Were you trying to give me the slip?"

"Wh-what do you want?" I stammered out.

"The question is what do you want, isn't it?" Dante said.

* * *

**Sorry, sorry, sorry! Please don't hate me! I'll update sooner.**

**Also, this chapter is pre, during and after the events of DMC4, so we only see the confusion and then the aftermath.**


	5. V: Without a trace

**_When the world goes hollow  
You disappear  
Send a legion to follow;  
to bring you here_**

* * *

"She's gone."

Those were the words that greeted me when I set foot through the backdoor of the refuge shelter. Despite myself, I scanned the mass of people for her red hair. Linard was thorough in his report; he knew exactly when, where and how Karla had vanished and had sent a small army to retrieve her. I finally tore my gaze from the crowd when he held a sheet of paper for my scrutiny. I took it, glanced at the printed webpage, and felt slightly more at ease. I recognized the regional code; Kat had many friends like her in that suburb. Karla would inevitably bump into her at some point.

"...one of our informants just notified us that she's been spotted liaising with an unfamiliar," Linard added. I could tell by the slight hesitation in his words that he was wary of my disapproval - as well he should be.

"Find them. Question them. How long ago did she leave?" I asked, scanning the crowd once more.

"Half an hour ago."

I scowled at him. "And the team you sent after her?"

"Twenty six minutes ago."

"Have you had word from them yet?" I asked, a queer feeling akin to dread stirring in my chest. Of course he hadn't. They'd have returned with her by now, considering her destination was a mere five minute drive from here. Someone had taken her.

"No, sir," Linard said and spoke into the cuff of his collar, "Find the unfamiliar and bring it in."

The unfamiliar, if not found soon, would be the first suspect. I couldn't fathom someone abducting Karla. I had taught her too well to watch out for danger that the idea of someone drugging her seemed preposterous. If she'd been teleporting, as Linard reported, it would have had to be someone who had either been following her, or waiting for her. They would have had to use brute force to subdue her, but then Karla had extraordinary intuitive instincts that even I have found a challenge to fool. She couldn't have been taken.

I glanced down at the paper in my hand once more. I knew the address. Dante was sure to know the witches.

Where the hell was he? Oh, of course, he was hunting some lesser demon.

"Notify Dante to meet me at this location within the hour." I handed the page back to Linard, who sent out the order before looking at me with an expression I hadn't seen on his face for a long time.

"Sir?"

"Find Dante and give him the message...and if you find Imara..." I looked at him, saw realization flit through his eyes. "Keep her for me."


	6. C: Truth be told

**_I seem to be stuck on you_**

* * *

"Well, Scaly? What is it then?"

He had Rebellion in his hand, twirled the massive sword around expertly before digging the point into the soil between us. He leaned on it and glowered down at me. I couldn't look at him properly without shaking. I scrambled backwards like a spider trying to escape a shoe and I found my feet, somehow.

The blade glinted silver in the moonlight, and in that moment I was transported back to his room - messy, slightly odd smelling, with tall arched windows allowing sunlight to flood into the chaos - and I was on the carpet again, furiously struggling to free my fingers from beneath the mass of steel and staring right back into eyes as pure in colour as heaven's waters.

Same eyes. They hadn't darkened or lightened throughout the years, they were still as captivating as they'd been before, only now they were double as terrifying. The same light danced in them - that streak of mischief, like he was playing around - only now there was a menacing threat behind it.

Try something stupid, and I'll kill you, those eyes said.  
Run, and I'll kill you. Move any way I don't like. I will kill.

My head started spinning, the world threatening to blur into darkness around me. And a distinct, loud 'snap' exploded into the silence. Another snap followed, and another, and another. It was me, not my own doing but my instincts trying to take over in response to his threat. I struggled hard to tame the powers running rampant through my veins, and stared at him in paralysed fear.

He didn't like my crackles and pops much, either. He'd straightened up, hand still secured on the hilt of his sword, and watched me. His eyes were everywhere on me, all at once, it felt like. Waiting. Observing. The way Vergil used to look at me before I would black out.

We stood staring at each other for what seemed hours, before he abruptly, inexplicably let out a big sigh that transformed his whole demeanor from defensive to careless. He practically slumped into a relaxed pose, the tension gone from his physique, his movements lose and fluid.

"Look," he said and spread his hands in mock apology. "I'm flattered that you found me handsome enough to stalk, _buuuut_ you're not the first. See, there was this demon dude who used to stalk me. He's dead."

My knees wanted to buckle when he swung Rebellion over his shoulder and started slowly pacing in a wide arch toward me.

"Granted, he did manage to crucify me and almost take over the city. Then there was this other, weird, jealous guy who stalked me because his girl wished he was more like me. We ended up having ice cream together. It was... awkward." He grimaced, gazing off into the sky as he thought about it. When he looked at me again, it was clear that he wasn't playing games.

"Now you tell me, Scaly, what kind of stalker are you?"

"I'm looking for someone you know," I blurted out. I paused, surprised at myself - but then, I really shouldn't be. There was no hint that he recognised who I was, or rather, who I used to be. "She's a witch. Her name's Kat."

A look I couldn't place flashed across his face at her name.

"I've been trying to find her for a long time."

"You can't find someone who doesn't want to be found," Dante drawled. He'd started circling me, and I followed suit, not trusting him anymore than he did me. I could hear the ghostly echoes of that sword sweeping through the air to cut me down.

"That's why I've been following you."

"And what is it that you want from her?"

"None of your business!"

"Wrong answer." Dante stopped pacing, and so did I. "If you can't tell me why you're looking for her, I can't see any reason why I should let you live."

"You'd kill me just for that?"

He shrugged. "If I let you go, chances are you'll just carry on stalking me, until one day you get lucky and track her down. Since you are being vague on what your intentions are, I am forced to suspect the worst and I'll have to kill you for it."

"You sound just like your psychotic brother," I said in disbelief. "Are you brainwashed?"

"That's a funny thing to say," Dante said, tilting his head to the side in bemusement. For a long, dragging moment he simply stared at me. "What business have you got with Kat?"

"She has something for me. I was meant to collect it from her a while ago. It's a potion."

Dante mulled it over for a minute, and finally nodded his head. "A potion, huh? Alright then. What's your name?"

I nearly panicked. "Scaly."

"Ha. Nice try but - hey, what the hell?"

Something black wrapped itself around my head. It came out of nowhere, and it muted out all sound. Something pushed me to the ground, ripping the air from my lungs with force, and then I realized I couldn't breathe in the blackness. I tried to claw at it but I couldn't feel my hands, and no matter how hard I tried to get my breath back, there was nothing to breathe in but the blackness...

* * *

_**Pardon the shorter chapters.  
If you have questions that aren't already answered in the story, please leave it in a review and I'll probably edit and update the chapters to suit.  
I would also like to share that while writing this chapter, I was doing this all the way through: SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.**_

_**Because I wuffles Dante. :)**_


	7. V: WOW

**_Here I go again  
Chasing you down again_**

* * *

I arrived at the building not long before Dante showed up. It had once been a pagan store as the signboard boasted above the entrance. Now all it consisted of was piles of smoldering fabric and broken furniture. The walls were scorched, the window pane shattered all across the sidewalk. An explosion from the inside. No survivors. No trace of Karla, either. The smoke dancing and curling from the burnt floor was a sure enough sign that this had taken place a short while back.

Dante stood with his hands on his hips outside in the road, surveying the damage, as I meticulously stepped through the rubble inside for any sign that Karla may have been there.

"Shit," Dante muttered. "This isn't good."

"You knew the witch who owns this place?" I asked, kicking aside several cracked and rusty crystal balls.

"Yeah. She was supposed to pay me back an IOU this week. I guess that's not happening now."

"You can do without," I muttered, crouching down to lift a board off the ground. I peeked beneath it and found nothing.

"So what would bring Karla here?" Dante asked, curiously joining my side.

"She's been searching for a spell to break a concealment spell someone has put on her."

"Is there a reason she didn't ask Imara for help?" Dante cocked an eyebrow and stepped aside as I toppled a tall glass cabinet over onto the floor.

"I didn't think so at the time but I think Karla suspected treason."

Dante's face fell. "A snake, huh?"

"I'd assume so considering Imara has vanished along with Karla."

"Okay, shouldn't we be trying to find them?"

I let out my breath as I flipped the counter over and inspected the bottom. "If Karla is in trouble, as seems to be the case, she'd have left me a clue. Something to help me track her down."

"Uh, sure. Well, now your trashing this place seems a lot more sane than it did a minute ago," Dante said, a lame attempt at lighting the mood. He stooped to pick up a shard of mirrored glass and frowned. "Wow."

"Wow, what?" I sighed, exasperated. What was he doing gaping at a piece of glass?

"Wow is the clue," Dante said.

I followed his gaze up to the ceiling; amid the smoke blackened concrete and peeling white paint were bloody hand prints, and three letters stroked in broken red and soot. The letters spelled WOW, from Dante's perspective. From my view it spelled MOM.

A billion scenarios rained in my head, the next burst harsher and colder than the first. I watched Dante stare up at the word, perplexed, and turn around to read it again. Mom? Cora had found her? But how, and why? I had taken such good precautions to keep Karla safe, hidden from the demon world, hidden from_ her._

I should have kept track of Cora. I never should have let her out of my sight. She was unpredictable, more so as she became more demon, I should have thought. Dante had turned to stare at me with that miserable, love-sick expression I'd hoped I would never see again.

"This has something to do with Cora? What is it, like a debt one of her demon buddies have decided to collect?" Dante asked icily.

Maybe, I wanted to say, I wanted to lie. Probably not, I thought. "I don't know."

"You don't know. Really," Dante huffed, and threw the glass into smithereens on the floor. "I think you do know. You were with her all the time. You were in her head, or did you forget?"

If only I could forget.

"Alright, let's take a minute here. Our best leads regarding Cora will be back in the city or back home. We start in Fortuna, work our way through it until we've tracked down every demon she's dealt with. Maybe we'll hit the jackpot and one of them will break, tell us where Karla is and who took her-"

"Let's go." I brushed past him out the store and headed down the road.

Dante was right beside me without missing a beat.

"Remembered something after all?"

"My men were informed that Karla has been in contact with an unfamiliar. I sent them to track it down and bring it in. If we have to start somewhere, that's where we start."

"Let me handle it. I have a way with words," Dante said.

"Fine. Did you kill that demon that's been following you?"

"Nope..."

"Good. We'll need to interrogate it, as well. If it's been following you around, it knows about Karla, and it might know where she's been taken."

"...your minions crashed my date before I could tell her she's not my type."

"You have to be the most aggravating dimwit I've ever had to work with. How is your teleport skills?"

"My what?"

"Good. Hold on." I seized him by the arm and dragged him with me.

Moving through time and space with a heavy dead-weight was equally unpleasant for both of us.  
The refuge shelter was cleared of civilians, save for the loyal subjects that served me. My head buzzed lightly from the teleportation, as did Dante's, it seemed, as he was leaning heavily against the wall.

"Give me better warning next time," he complained.

"Toughen up, brother," I retorted, straightening out my sleeves and striding across the large hall to the smaller rooms in the back.

Linard stepped out from one of the rooms just in time to catch me. "Sir. We have it."

* * *

_**In regards to their age in this story: it is whatever you wish it to be. If you want to follow the details, they're a good chunk older than in the previous story (they'd have to be to be dealing with teenage offspring) but I haven't and won't harp much on their age because the majority of the fanbase like younger Dante. **_

_**Personally, I see Dante in this fic as he was in DMC4 (just because it makes me feel less like a pervy sugarmama), without the clown coat, with a whole bucketful of anime Dante in the mix. I'm not specifically writing him as such, to allow as much leeway for your imagination as I can. He's whichever Dante you love best.**_

_**I'm also going to be writing the rest of the fic in Cora's POV. I never feel like I do Vergil justice, and since I can now easily get back into Cora's head, there's no need to write Vergil's POV.**_

_**...yes, I'm also wondering how the hell I got into Vergil's head in the first place. o_O I must have been having withdrawal symptoms from lack of coffee. **_

_**Enjoy!**_


	8. C: Dealing hits

**_I woke up just to see  
Out of all of the faces  
You were the one next to me_**

* * *

I just wanted a little reprieve from the pain. The wounds I picked up from Hell had healed, but the new ones my invisible foes had dealt me seemed to linger for an eternity. They had cut off all my fingers when I couldn't answer their demands - yeah they grew back, but it didn't make it any less painful.

"Who are you working for?"

And the worst of it was that I was blind with that black thing still over my head. It muted their voices and sent sickening aromas up my nose every time I inhaled. My head felt too heavy to hold up and every time I dropped it onto my chin, someone punched it right back up.

"Where have you taken her?"

I couldn't wait to get my energy back. I was going to colour the floor red with these idiots. Ideally, I mean. I was too weak and their non-stop torment wasn't going to give me the time I needed to heal. And where the hell was Dante in all this? He hadn't liked it much when these guys appeared out of nowhere and interrupted us, but he hadn't put up a fight to stop them either. But then, why would he, I was nothing but a potential threat to Kat-

"Looks like you need a break."

I whipped my head around at the sound of Dante's voice, and followed his footsteps blindly until he was right in front of me.

"So here we are again," Dante said conversationally. "Only this time, if you lie to me, these guys have orders to do worse than kill you."

I shrugged helplessly. I couldn't even sense how many there were around me.

"Let me ask you again, Scaly, and be honest this time. Why were you following me?"

"I didn't lie before," I choked out. "I can't breathe."

The black fell away like flower pedals and I sat squinting at Dante on a chair before me. The room was shaking, the sharp light above making everything shift out of focus. I tried to blink my vision back, and leaned as far back into my seat as I could when Dante leaned forward.

"You're searching for Kat, right. For some vague potion."

"Yes!" I hissed. The room was oppressive. Something was there that made my skin turn to ice, something other than Dante. It wasn't coming from the men dressed in black cloaks all around, either.

"Why then have you been in contact with Karla?"

I shook my head slowly, blinking furiously at the guards around before scowling at Dante. "I don't know any Karla."

Dante gritted his teeth together and leaned away from me when two guards stepped forward. One pinned my hand down.

"Wha...wait, no, no no-" I cut myself off with a scream, writhing and squirming as the other guard snipped off my finger like it was a piece of paper. Blood oozed, thick and sinewy, to the already rustic stained floor. I puffed hard, unable to soothe the pain, unable to force the regrowth. The more they cut, the longer it took to heal, the longer the pain lasted. It was maddening.

"Again," Dante leaned forward. "What business have you got with Karla?"

I pursed my lips together, breathing hard through my nose as I stared back at him, frantically trying to think what the hell I was going to do. My shield wasn't kicking in as it ought to - was that the oppressiveness in the room? Some kind of demon magic that kept me defenseless and weak?

Dante gave a half-smirk. "Let's not play games now, Scaly. You know where she is and who took her. All you need to do is tell me where I can find her and I'll let you go."

"I-is she a witch? Someone that you work with? I d-don't know who she is but I swear I'll help you find her. Just please stop hurting me," I stammered over my words, watching the guards warily and curling my other hand into a tight fist.

"Very convincing performance," Dante sighed heavily. "But you're still not giving me what I want."

"No, wait! I deal with a lot of witches and demons, maybe, maybe I do know a Karla but I don't know her as Karla? That's a possibility, right?"

Dante held his hand up, and the guards stopped moving closer. I could feel my heart jarring my head as I stared at him. "She's not a demon or a witch. She's a teenager."

"I don't deal with humans much. I don't know who you're looking for," I pleaded. "You've got to believe me, if I knew who she was and where you could find her, I'd tell you, I swear. I'm looking for Kat, no one else."

Dante pressed his hands together and studied me grimly. "She's a half-breed. Like me. Your kind can recognize or smell our scent. Oh. Now you know who I'm talking about."

I did, and it felt like the situation hit me anew like a ton of bricks.

"Now am I going to have to let them cut off your hand before you cooperate, or are you going to spare yourself the torture and just spill the beans?"

I licked my lips, tense. "Karla." I detested the name. It was too much like my own. Who in their right mind would name her that? Was it just coincidence? "I didn't know her name."

"Really. But you know exactly who she is," Dante said roughly.

"Any idiot would know. She carried the stink of Sparda's blood. I didn't know her name because I didn't want to know it," I took a breath. "Why am I here?"

"You seemed to have spent a great deal in her company as of late. You have a better idea who may have taken her than we do."

"Taken her? You mean she's gone?"

"Keep it up, you'll win an Oscar yet," Dante said.

"Oh please, I've had my share of revenge long ago, I want nothing to do with the girl. She's a burden this world could do without."

"That's my niece you're talking about," Dante growled in my face.

"Exactly," I snarled right back. We stuck like that for the longest time, beast facing beast, neither of us backing down.

"Dante." Someone moved forward from between the guards. I saw blue in my peripheral vision.

Dante blinked, but his glare stayed strong.

"That little abomination never should have been born," I hissed, and watched his rage double behind icy eyes.

"Do you want to die?" He hissed back.

"Yesss," I said bitingly.

"Dante!"

He moved away so violently that there was no doubt he'd been on the verge of strangling me. I scowled at his back as he paced toward the further end of the room, and glared vehemently when Vergil took his place. He sat for a moment, observing my somewhat mutilated form. He pressed his hands against his knees and looked me dead in the eye.

"You will talk eventually." He was smooth ice compared to Dante's jagged fire. "Soon. Your life hangs in the balance."

"What makes you think I care?" I asked evenly.

"I'll make you care."

A chill went down my back. "Why not save us both the trouble? Take what you want to know and kill me."

"Take what I want?" he repeated curiously.

"You never had issues doing it before," I looked at him sideways. "Or did spending all that time in hell make you rusty?"

Vergil breathed out long and hard.

"What's she talking about?" Dante asked, having stopped mid-pace to frown at us. "What are you talking about hell? You haven't been back there since Karla, have you? I thought we agreed-"

The question was directed at Vergil, and was met with equal force. "She's mistaken my doppelganger."

"Well what the hell was your doppelganger doing in hell?" Dante demanded the same moment I said, "Your doppelganger?"

"That's none of your concern, Dante," Vergil shook his head and gave me a steady look. "She's a dead-end. Nothing but worthless demon scum."

Shock had churned itself into fury. "Your _doppelganger_? Really, for all these years, you let your doppelganger get tortured in hell? I find that hard to believe." I glared daggers at him as he rose from the chair to leave.

"What you believe or not is irrelevant." Vergil nodded at the guards, and they started toward me.

"I beg to differ," I snapped angrily. I glared at Dante who was moving toward the door. "You two have been in Fortuna. All this time, you were here?"

"Make her talk," Vergil said to the guards. "And if she doesn't, kill her."

I had to shift as best I could in my tied-down state to see their backs beyond the guards circling me. Then I slumped back into the chair. "Go on. Put me out of my misery then. I don't know where she is and I don't care."

~...~

I talked, a lot. Well, I screamed and cried most of the time, but I managed to mumble out some truths during the interrogation.

Like how, if I'd succeeded the first time I tried to kill Dez, I wouldn't be missing a foot and other smaller body parts right now. Like how Vergil had played me the fool - over and over again, first by misleading me to think he was the boy I loved, then by tricking me into believing I'd gained my vengeance. I put Sparda in chains. Oh yes, I was that demon who ratted out the Sparda legacy. Vergil was my target, the rest were collateral damage.

No, I'm not making it up. Yes, Vergil sired his offspring through me. He was good at using people. I tried to kill the baby before it could leave my womb, and I wanted to kill it after it was born. But then it disappeared, and I thought I was free. Until the little half-breed found me. I don't know why she wanted to find me. I don't even know why she kept coming back. I don't want her. I'm not a monster, if I knew where she'd gone I'd have said so. She's probably already dead anyway. I don't care. She's not mine, she never was mine. She's his. I hate him.

Wait. Why did you stop? Where are you going? No, stop. I lied! I'm talking shit. Just kill me already, I know nothing of use. Would you- GET BACK IN HERE!

The guards had cut me lose during the interrogation, after I lost my other foot, to traumatize me some more. I'd been submissive throughout. Until doubt coloured their faces pale and the unspoken worry that I may well be telling the truth was passed around the group.

I didn't start struggling against them until one of them hurried from the room with the full intent of informing Vergil of everything I'd just blurted out. I was half-dead anyway. They wouldn't let me take hold of their blades or guns, instead they restrained me on the floor and shook their heads when I begged them to kill me.

Funny, how things can change so fast.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid._

Blame it on adrenaline, but even half-blind from pain and unable to do anything but crawl, I broke free from the guards' hold when the doorknob turned and the door squealed open. I dragged myself up against the wall, because it was the closest thing to me, and the furthest thing away from that door.

I never wanted to stop existing as much as I did right then. I've never been more pathetic in my life.

I closed my eyes, and wished myself dead. Willed myself dead. I put my head against the hard brick wall as his footsteps approached. I didn't know who it was, I didn't want to know. I just didn't want to be there. An arm made its way beneath me, and another, and then I was lifted high. Cradled against a vest that smelled of blood and smoke. I desperately wanted to black out, but we had left the interrogation room. The oppressiveness had gone and the familiar itch that came with the regrowth had begun. My body was repairing itself, and I never hated it more.

I was laid out on something soft and leathery. A door opened and closed dully. A pop and a clang, and the heady smell of alcohol. Then there was nothing but the sound of the occasional sip. I didn't move. I barely breathed. I wanted to be dead. I listened to the hand of a clock somewhere ticking the seconds past.

It was over two hours later when a door opened and the other presence in the room spoke.

"Did you find anything?" Dante asked.

"Not yet."

Footsteps. Another beer. A heavy sigh, from which twin I couldn't tell.

"Did you know about this?"

Vergil sighed. "We knew this was inevitable, didn't we? Mother educated us well in what to expect." Silence. "You do see why I never mentioned her, don't you?"

"So you were doing me a favour, huh?"

"No, I did myself a favour. I could hardly stand to watch her deteriorate. The last thing I wanted was my naive brother trying to play the hero."

"Play the hero-"

"Trust me when I say that she was far beyond help. The spell that kept her docile had worn off enough for her demon to take over-"

"- you really think this is a game?"

"Do you? How many times did I have to tell you that she was changing? How many hours did I put into finding a cure, for her? How much of my energy and studies did I spend to keep her human as long as I could? And what did you do for her, Dante? Take her out on a date and hope that everything was going to work out in the end? Sit back and think that by some chance she wasn't going to go downhill? No, I do not think this is a game. It never was. You were the one who failed to see it for what it is."

"Well you had the cure all figured out, why didn't you save her?"

"Are you being serious?" Vergil sounded exasperated.

"I'm curious."

"The onslaught that tore our home and family apart?"

"You're using that as your excuse for not going after her?"

"Dante... she was the one who orchestrated the attack. I couldn't reach her. She was too far gone."

"Tch, yeah right. Are we even talking about the same girl here?"

"The fact that you're in denial shows how little you really knew her."

"Humanity always wins out against the demonic at some point."

"You haven't learnt a thing, have you?"

Another sip. Glass touching wood.

"She's not too far gone."

"She is. Look at her, Dante. She's changed too much. Even if I tried the cure, there's no guarantee that it would work."

"Vergil," Dante let out his breath. "I know you know your stuff, and you think you know her well."

"Your point?"

"I know her better."

"This is not a competition."

"No, it's not, but if it was, I'd win hands-down. Were you even in that room when I was questioning her?"

"Please do enlighten me, Dante. As far as I'm aware, everything she said was right on cue with things every other demon has ever laid on us..."

"It was all Cora. Nothing demonic. Just a bitter and angry Cora saying the exact same things she did when we were young, with a blunt edge. Look. We gotta go find Karla. Cora will help us."

"How do you know she will?"

"She swore she'd help if I let her go. Well. I let her go, didn't I? As soon as she wakes up, we can go."

"Dante."

A heavy weight sank down by my feet, which were still shaping and spreading out to their original size, and a hand touched my elbow.

"You are too much of a dreamer, brother. She won't help us."

* * *

**_ Tonberry: I've always had this niche for cliffhangers. I stop when I know exactly what's going to happen next, otherwise I run the risk of writing myself into a block. It helps keep the story flowing in my head, and gives me time to plot what happens_ after_ what happens next, kind of thing. :)_**

_**Mondo Midnight: I did a full description of her in the first chapter. The demon she's watching is her reflection. I thought I might lose a few people there considering the massive change in her character from the end of the previous story, but yes she's practically full on demon now.**_

_**As for Dante...I can't remember exactly. Didn't Vergil wipe his memory so that he could have Cora all to himself and Kat as a distraction for Dante? I vaguely recall that Dante was going to have another fist fight with Vergil after Kat gave him some kind of potion (to clear his head, free him of Vergil's brain-washery or restore his lost memory, one of those reasons I think) but it never actually got written down because Cora went running to Mundus instead. I don't think their feelings for each other changed, though?**_


	9. Recoup

**_You could have been the death of me  
But then you breathe your breath in me_**

* * *

"Once you're done feigning sleep, I trust you can find your way to the door."

"Some things never change." Dante tisked.

"What are you implying?"

"Nothing."

I rolled over onto my side to see Dante leaning back against the edge of a desk, a half-empty beer bottle in one hand, his other held up in mock bemusement. He had shed his coat and his sword was leaned up against the table beside him.

Vergil had taken a seat on the couch by my feet. He seemed as excited to see me as I was to see him. He'd let go of my arm the moment I moved and was watching me with arctic eyes.

"And so sleeping beauty awakes," Dante added, holding his beer out to me in a brief, sarcastic toast. "It's about time."

I sat up, pulling myself toward the opposite end of the couch as I did. I looked toward the tall window pane, trying to gauge my location by any familiar landmarks outside. Vergil, mercifully, wasn't going to be an issue to evade. Dante, however, already seemed to be onto me.

He wandered over to the love-seat across from me, and dragged it squealing and groaning across the floorboards until it was positioned between me and the door. "You'd best start throwing ideas at me on who may have taken my niece, unless you don't favour your fingers." He sat down grimly.

I could feel the ghostly lingering tingles of pain in my knuckles at his words and looked down at my hands for a moment, debating whether it was worth going through it all over again. Probably not so much. I could just tell them whatever they wanted to hear and get out of there.

Vergil sighed impatiently.

"A witch or warlock, maybe," I said in response. "She was looking for Kat so it may be anyone who has something against Kat, or against you, or Sparda-"

"Or against you," Dante cut in.

"Yeah, right. The only demons who have anything to hold against me are right here," I said tightly.

"Hey-"

"Why was she looking for Kat?" Vergil asked.

I shrugged. "She stuck her nose into my business. See, she has this idea in mind that I can't sort out my own affairs, so she's tried to do it for me."

Dante grunted.

"What do you want from Kat?" Vergil scowled.

I opened my mouth to retort but Dante beat me to it. "That's rhetorical. You're saying that Karla has been trying to find Kat to get the potion off her?"

"Yeah," I said, the same instant Vergil asked, "What potion?"

"I thought she was looking for a specialized witch to undo the concealment spell that's been cast on her,"he added.

"Wh-_ my_ concealment spell?" I asked, finally tearing my gaze from my hands to look at him, stunned.

"_Your_ concealment spell?" Vergil echoed, equally shocked. "What did you put a spell on my daughter for?"

"The company I keep is not good company for the likes of her."

"And this potion she's after?" Vergil asked, but I knew by the look on his face he already knew the answer.

"If she's still within the city border, she will be cloaked and safe from any demons..."

"We're keeping an open mind that she may have been taken somewhere else. The witchcraft store where she's gone missing is not very far from the border," Dante said, exchanging a look with Vergil.

"You mean she's- wait, she actually went to that place. The one near the fish and chips place, right?" I asked, frowning. I knew the witches who ran the place, and there was no way they would harm a hair on Dez's head. They were old friends of Eva's. Something wasn't adding up.

"I think we should get back there and start the search from there," Dante said, rising from his seat.

"Good." I got up, too. "Well, then-"

"You're coming with us," Dante arched an eyebrow at me, and smirked when I froze to stare at him. "I thought you looked a bit too eager to get going."

"You can't force me to do anything," I snapped, suddenly furious. "And this isn't _my_ problem."

"Sorry, Cora," Dante said in a clipped tone, and playfully draped his arm around my neck. "But you're guilty by association." His arm grew heavy as he forcefully steered me to the door, grabbing his sword on the way. "You swore you'd help me find who I'm after."

"You were threatening me..."

"You still said it." He moved ahead of me, and I kept walking because Vergil was right behind me.

This was going to be hell.

~...~

It looked like somebody had set fire to the inside of the store when we reached it. The windows were shattered, a bunch of tables and display cases lay broken on the floor, and everything else seemed to be caked in black. It looked bad, I give you that, it also looked genuine.

The hiccup was that I knew the store was protected from the elements - a surefire way of keeping bad magic and bad company at bay. If anyone had tried to throw a bomb in there - which is the effect I'm guessing they were going for - it wouldn't have exploded. Nor would blood have been spilled within the four walls. I stood staring up at the bloody name until I got a creak in my neck. It was so ridiculously obviously fake and dramatic. I finally turned to look at the brothers. Dante was wandering aimlessly about, boots crunching over broken glass, sending tense looks out the window as if he expected to see someone. Vergil was standing near the door, arms crossed, watching me with angry eyes.

I licked my lips and crossed my own arms, glancing back up at the bloody name. It was pig's blood - a smell close to that of human blood but lacking that oomph. It also wasn't Dez's blood. Hers was as bright and pungent as her odour, it couldn't even compare to human blood. She'd left the store too long ago for me to definitely track her, but her ghostly scent remained here.

I looked at Dante again. He wouldn't believe me if I told him no one had taken her. He'd still be convinced that I was simply trying to back out of the deal, and he wouldn't have been wrong five minutes ago if that had been the case. I didn't even want to waste my time thinking of Vergil's reaction. He wouldn't believe me either, would likely become highly suspicious that I did have something to do with Dez's disappearance; all because his god-complex wouldn't allow him to be wrong and me to be right about his little spawn.

Still. This was one helluva setup. What was the girl trying to do anyway? And why the hell was she purposely dragging me into it? I glared back up at the ceiling and let out a long, heavy breath.

"Alright," I said.

"You caught her scent?" Vergil asked.

I looked at him and frowned. "What am I, your dog?"

"That's not what I meant."

"Save it," Dante intervened, joining Vergil's side. "Do you know who took her?"

I pursed my lips and shrugged. "Nope. Here's the deal." Vergil's eyebrow twitched. Dante leaned forward. "You get me the potion, I get you the girl. We exchange a trade tomorrow at dawn down at the pier."

"I like my plan better," Dante shook his head. "You stick with us until we find her."

Vergil was also shaking his head, somewhat more irately, and held his hand up to hush Dante. "What have we to go on but your word?"

"You're a resourceful fella, he's a demon hunter, and I'm not a grade A idiot. Deal or no deal," I said coldly.

"No," Dante said.

"No," Vergil agreed. "Dante will go with you to ensure you make good on your word. Once you've brought Karla back to me safely, I'll give you the potion."

"Done," Dante sighed.

"He'll slow me down," I said, not budging as Dante held the door open expectantly.

Vergil held my eye for a moment and shrugged his shoulders. "I'll take my chances."

* * *

**Nyaaa, like old times, yes? XD**


	10. Time can not erase

**_Your presence still lingers here  
and it won't leave me alone_**

* * *

I was walking up and down the main road going past the wrecked store for about the hundredth time before Dante broke his sighing, groaning and mumbling trance. He pulled me aside and ran a hand through his hair.

"Okay, what are we doing?"

"Trying to see which way your little precious has gone," I shook him off like his touch actually hurt.

"We've been stomping down the same damn road for over an hour. Her scent or tracks or whatever isn't going to just miraculously re-appear. What if teleportation was used?"

"Where do you suggest we go look then?" I growled in frustration.

"Your place."

"Is non existent," I bit back. "Just have some patience. I'll track her easier once the sun goes down."

"Oh, and why's that?"

Because she's going to get worried that we haven't done much to find her, and she's going to move. Like a bunny into the predator's line of sight. "It's a demon thing," I said instead.

"You're only half-demon."

"No, _you're_ half-demon. I'm nothing like you, Dante," I huffed.

He backed off a little and trailed behind me quietly until dusk began to settle. A couple of hours into the night and I was doubting my theory. I headed toward the city where my apartment lay in rubble, and wandered around the debris aimlessly. I found my couch and kicked a few planks off it before slumping into it.

"This place was nice before Sanctus messed it up. You must have had a pretty view," Dante said distractedly.

"I hate this place," I said.

He paused in his tracks and looked at me in the dark. "It's home to us."

"My home burnt to the ground a long, long time ago," I said gloomily, glancing about the debris. "Fortuna was a last resort."

"I get it."

"Sure you do." I got up and scanned the area angrily.

"Look, once we find Karla, you can move on. You don't have to stay here."

"Oh, now that I have your permission, it makes me feel so much better!"

"Well that's one way to kill a conversation," Dante said with equal heat.

I started toward the docs and he followed suit. Everything was quiet and dark, which ought to make tracking Dez easier, but all I kept seeing and smelling was Dante's scent. Yep, he was definitely slowing me down. He had stopped outside the gates of a run-down resort and was staring at the name arched over the entrance. I kept my gaze diverted as I strolled past him back toward the city streets. He fell in stride with me a moment later, and I noted something about his demeanor had changed. I knew what he was thinking.

"Don't pity me, Dante."

"I pity the situation."

"It won't change anything."

We were nearing the broken-down cathedral when I spoke the reality that had been gnawing on my mind. "It never ends, does it?"

Dante started to reply but I carried on. "I thought he'd be a good friend. Out of the two of you, he'd always seemed the more reliable, level-headed, low maintenance brother. The go-to guy, right?"

"He'd always been good at deceiving people."

I blinked, surprised, and looked away when he gave me a small smile.

"I'd put too much trust in him. He used me over and again for his purposes, like I was some mindless puppet at his mercy," I said and grinned at Dante bitterly. "And look at me now. Fifteen, sixteen years of being free of him and then he walks in and within an hour I'm right back at the end of his strings."

"Don't look at it that way."

"I don't know whether to admire him or envy him for it."

"Cora, you're here because of me," Dante said and blocked my way.

I stared at his chest for a second before looking up at him. "You mean, because _Vergil_ told you to interrogate me and I happened to make a vow to you."

"If I remember right, I had you_ before_ he sent his troops in to arrest you," Dante smirked. "Whether Vergil had interfered or not, I would've discovered you had been in contact with Karla, and I would have found you, and we would still end up right here, right now."

"You would have still cut off my fingers?" I asked, taking a step back.

"Technically, that wasn't me," Dante said, his smirk waning. "I'd have gotten you to help me find her, regardless."

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm doing something that will benefit Vergil. I mean, what do I get out of this?"

"The potion, remember."

"I would have gotten the potion from you whether Vergil and his spawn were part of it or not."

"Karla."

"Huh?"

"Her name is Karla."

"Yeah, I like Desdemona better," I said, wrinkling my nose in disgust before brushing roughly past him.

"You didn't actually call her that, did you?"

"No, at first I just called her Rue. Then she kept coming back and annoying me so I called her a demon-child. It kinda stuck," I said over my shoulder as I picked my way toward the council chambers across the road. "I call her Dez for short."

"Don't you think that's kinda harsh?" Dante asked as we both stopped short outside the black iron gates leading into a hole ridden courtyard.

"Don't you think it's harsh how she came to be in the first place?" I retorted sharply.

"Cora, she's a good girl. Don't blame her for Vergil's actions."

"I don't blame her for anything. I never wanted to blame her for anything. Why'd you think I was so hellbent on aborting her?" I managed to squeeze my small frame through the iron bars and for a minute, it was very tempting to just leave Dante stuck on the other side and make a run for it. He kicked half of the gate off its hinges before I could act on my instincts and I swallowed a disappointed sigh.

"But you didn't. That's got to mean something," Dante said, evoking a short, icy chuckle from me. The questioning look he gave me put me very ill at ease.

"Just because she's here, doesn't mean I didn't try. I never wanted her any more than I wanted Vergil. But you already knew that," I said, marching up a flight of stairs off to the side of the courtyard. A shadowy corridor stretched out at the top and I placed myself at the mid-way point. Dante didn't follow me this time.

I stared out at the dark city - a few dots of light gave way that people had begun to return to their homes - but otherwise it was veiled in a comforting silence. I didn't even have the time on me. I could go ask one of the witches, maybe Hazel if I caught her, to help me track down where Dez was hiding. It would be so much easier to find that girl than to try find Kat.

That would mean I'd have to go to one of the rifts, and then it would still be a wild guess to find any comrades capable of helping me out. That would also mean I'd have to take Dante with me. Which wouldn't be a bad thing, but then it wouldn't be the best thing to do either. Chances are he didn't even know about the rifts. I'd be selling a secret to someone who probably shouldn't be privy of it, being a demon hunter and all. I wonder what the patrons at the rift would do at the sight of Dante? A Son of Sparda crashing the party.

Then again, everyone was too mellow to get hyped up quickly. The rifts were relaxed little islands of paradise. And I was in need of a few drinks.

I pulled away from the window and glided down the stairs. Dante looked up from where he was sitting on a large dislodged concrete block and got to his feet.

"You know where to go?" he asked.

"I know exactly where to go." It's just not where you want it to be.

The rift was hidden behind hills of collapsed stone and dust in the alley. Conquering those hills was the easiest thing I'd done all day. I sketched some incantations in the air where I knew the portal to be, and stepped through.

Deep red walls, warm timber panels, shiny counter and table tops, the smell of alcohol thick in the air. I breathed it in and felt at home. It felt like ages since I'd been back to one of these, where I was safe and hidden, and surrounded by familiar faces.

"What the hell is this?" Dante asked, a little too loudly, next to me.

I jumped and glared at him. "Keep your voice down."

I headed for the bar counter, to my usual seat, and noted that the majority of the patrons were witches and warlocks. A few shapeshifters, a couple of humans, and absolutely no demons aside from myself. And of course there wouldn't be any demons present, if the luminous trail leading to the far back of the joint had anything to do with it. Who'd want to be around that stench?

"Hey, Cora. Can I get you guys anything?" one of the friendly waitresses waltzed past us and whipped out a notepad.

"The usual for me, thanks."

"And your date?"

"What are you doing?" Dante was staring at me like he wanted to shake me. "How is this helping?"

I stared back up at him and huffed. "He'll have a beer. And he's not my date."

"Sure. Bet you Kurst will be happy."

I turned toward the girl in disbelief, but she'd already made her way behind the bar. "What is with these people?" I muttered.

"Cora." He had my elbow in a steel-grip and narrowed his eyes at me. "You're not playing games with me, are you?"

It took me three times before I managed to free myself from him. "Me, no? Your little precious, yes. While you were chopping off my fingers and running around blind, she was over there tucking into some chicken."

Dante whipped his head around and we both looked at one of the farther booths where a couple of people were seated. One I didn't recognize, the other had brilliantly rich crimson hair. Dante glanced at me, stumped. "What-"

I lifted my hands to wave him off. "Don't ask me, it's not my problem." I took the glass of whiskey the human girl had prepped and put on the counter for me and headed over to the booth. I sank down heavily and ungracefully in the seat across from them and took a sip of my drink as Dez stared back at me with wide eyes.

"How did you find me?" she asked. There was a wailing note in her voice that made me want to strangle her across the table. The woman next to her was obviously a witch, with a very annoyingly vaguely familiar face.

"This is her?" the woman asked, shocked and distrustful. She saw me for what I was, and that somehow made things a whole lot less stressful.

"Karla?"

"Uncle Dante!" Dez physically jumped in her seat and stared at him with even wider eyes. The colour drained from her face and I could almost hear her nerves start to grind.

"What are you doing here?" Dante asked, casting his shadow over the table as he stood scrutinizing the scenario. "Imara, you know Vergil wants your head, right?"

"It's not her fault!" Dez piped up quickly, waving her hands frantically. "She wouldn't let me go on my own so I had to get her involved."

"Involved in what, exactly?" Dante didn't sound happy. Which was ironic. I'd have thought he'd be happy to find her safe and well, but he just looked really pissed off. "What are you playing at, Karla?"

"Nothing! I just- where's dad?"

Fear. I could almost taste its honey as it blossomed over her face. A different kind of fear that part of me was sure it recognized, but I couldn't place it - didn't want to place it. Funny that Vergil's little spawn would be afraid of him.

"Out there turning the city over to find you," Dante was saying. "Have you been here all this time?"

"I... yes. It was the only place you shouldn't have been able to find me."

"So what, were you running away from home? 'Cause you sure picked one hell of a bad time to do it."

"No, I'm not running away, I just...I just wanted to make things work."

I glared at her and chucked the last of my drink back down my throat. I put the glass down on the table hard enough to draw their attention.

"What things are you talking about?" Dante demanded, eyeing my empty glass with a frown.

"Mom and Vergil," I said when Dez deflated. I cocked my head to the side and arched my eyebrows at her. "That's why you got me involved, isn't it?"

"He didn't want to go looking for you. I said you were...he said mean things about you, and I know they're not true, and I knew if I showed him that he's wrong that he'd try harder, and that you would take him back and and and you'll make it work..."

I'd been shaking my head throughout her confession and she was tearing up by the end of it. "I can't believe you set this whole thing up just to force our paths to cross."

"Mom..."

"Job well done, Dez, I'd applaud you for it but exactly what do you think you've achieved by doing this?"

"I-"

"Think that one over while I go get another drink," I said, scooting out of the booth.

I got my glass refilled to the brim with pure whiskey and had downed half of it before I decided to head back to the table. Dante had taken my seat and I slid unsteadily into the booth beside him. Dez was white as a sheet and crying as Dante talked to her in a low voice.

"So?"I said, interrupting them.

"I wanted you to make it work," Dez sobbed.

"Even though I've never even mentioned your father? Ever. Don't you think that should have lifted a little red flag?" I asked pointedly.

"I thought you never talked about him because you became a demon, 'cause you were scared he'd reject you..."

"And that's why you were so keen to help me find the cure?" I asked.

"And because I wanted my mom back!" Dez said defensively.

"Cora," Dante said warningly.

"Let's not cut around the bush here. Your mom, or the mother you want, doesn't exist. She never did, Dez. I've been changing since I was younger than you are right now. You haven't missed out on anything, trust me," I said, and reached across the table to cup her hands in mine. "Stop crying."

Dez sniffed hard and visibly did try to pull herself together.

"Now," I said reassuringly. "I want you to let go of all these petty fantasies you've conjured up about me and your father. You don't know our history and until you're mature enough to accept the truth, it should be kept well under lock and key from you. "

"You mean like how I came between you two? How you abandoned us?"

"What the fuck did I just say?" I snapped. Dez cringed away from me but tightened her grip.

Dante cleared his throat as another warning, and I reigned back my temper.

"Listen to me," I emphasized before looking at her swollen, teary eyes. "Forget what you think you know. Be happy with what you've got. It's a whole lot more than I was willing to give you."

Dez dropped my hands and sank back into the cushions of her seat, her gaze darting from me to Dante and back. "What's that supposed to mean?" she whispered.

Home run.  
I sank back into my own seat and took another long sip when a different waitress came over with a beer for Dante. He didn't touch it.

"What's the time?" I asked her before she could disappear.

"Last I checked it was about five am. It's probably around six or so now."

"Well," I said and turned to Dante. "I get my potion, you get your niece. High five." Dante looked at my hand in disapproval and I dropped it lamely. "Or not. Let's get a move on, shall we?"

"Where are we going?" Dez asked tensely when Dante got up after me.

"The pier," I said.

"What's at the pier?"

"A surprise," I said and won another intensely disapproving scowl.

"Your father is waiting for us," Dante said.

"Oh please, please, I can't see him!" Dez exploded into a new river of tears. "Uncle Dante, you've got to hide me-"

I stopped dead to stare as she slid from the booth only to collapse onto her knees.

"Karla, you made your bed, you're going to have to sleep in-"

"I can't! Please don't take me back! You can't take me back! _Please_!"

"You should have thought about the consequence before you pulled a stunt like this," Dante said, hauling her to her feet very unsympathetically.

I hung back as Imara and Dante had to nearly drag a suddenly lame Dez from the rift. I followed close behind as we made our way through the destroyed city toward the coast, expecting that Dez's teenage angst-fit would fizzle out as we went. It didn't. It grew stronger and more intense the closer we got to the pier. Finally, the docs came into view. There were men positioned everywhere, black shadows in the breaking dawn. Dez stopped whimpering and begging and fell silent.

Her silence disturbed me even more. There was something horribly familiar about the way she was holding herself with a rigid grace. Vergil appeared from the shadows, walking closer to us quickly.

"Sir," Imara half-bowed.

"Imara?" Vergil asked, confused, and took Dez's hand while inspecting her with hawk-like eyes. "You're safe. Where did you find her?"

"Some bar," Dante said.

The expression on Vergil's face spoke volumes. "A bar, of all places? Was she held hostage?"

"Nope. She's been safe all this time."

"For crying out loud, why did you scare me like that, child?" Vergil breathed out, and I saw Dez quiver.

"I didn't mean to," she said softly. "Daddy, I'm sorry."

"We'll talk this over once we get home," Vergil said, putting his hand lightly on her shoulder before his gaze found me. "We had a deal."

I stepped forward cautiously and paused when he held out a small bottle the length of my hand. It almost looked like it was glowing in the dim light. Like there was moonlight trapped inside. I took it wordlessly, careful not to touch his fingers. It was surprisingly heavy and cold.

Thank you, God; redemption was mine at last.

I curled my fist around the bottle and started backtracking when Vergil turned his attention back to Dez, who was watching me through tear-ridden eyes. I tore my gaze from hers and avoided looking at anyone else as I started back in the direction of the ruined city. I'd have to find some place new, just to prevent bumping into Dante again, not that I was sure he would ever go to the rifts willingly.

"Not even a goodbye?" Dante asked as I passed him. Guilt-trips only work when you can feel, Dante.

"Are you hurt?" I heard Vergil ask in what I found to be uncharacteristic concern; for him anyway.

It was the weeping that caught me. It had that fragile essence of one already shattered; the kind of cry that struck your core and threatened to break you down with it. The kind that, demon or not, moved your entire being.

_Don't turn around, Cora. You don't have to. This isn't your problem._

I slowly forced myself to turn back. I've only ever heard Eva cry like that, after Sparda had gone. And just like then, when the boys had flocked around their mother in helpless agitation, Vergil now had his arms wrapped around Dez in a desperate, fruitless bid to comfort her.

_You don't have to do this. Don't feel like you have to. You've got what you came for._

I took a step and stopped, staring at the scene. I could almost feel every sob. Why the hell was this happening?

_There's nothing you can do. You already rejected her. There's no making up for that._

Imara had joined Vergil and was whispering against Dez's hair. They were a distance from me but I could hear every word. "We love you, Karla. We're your family, and we love you so very much. We love you."

_You could never give her that._

I shook my head, in confirmation or disagreement I wasn't entirely sure. What good was I, anyway? What good could I ever be for her when I had so much loathing for Vergil. Dante paced in front of me, disrupting my view of them, and I squinted at him. He was watching me, his expression unreadable.

I can't do this.

He nodded his head in their direction. Yeah, you could, he gestured.

I took a step back instinctively, even as the sobs tore at me. How often had I felt like crying like that? I had lost everything, I had actually physically and literally lost everything. She had so much more than I did, so why was she the one crying the tears I couldn't?

I took another step back. Dante stopped his pacing and folded his arms across his chest. Our eyes locked for the briefest of moments; and then he gave the slightest nod.

It's okay.

I took a deep breath and felt like the emotions that had been dormant inside of me was suddenly ripping me apart. Dez looked so much like Eva, a pretty little rose that had tragically been bruised and stomped. Vergil's eyes were burning dark when he saw me. I took another breath, and turned the other way.

* * *

_***gives muse cookie***_

_**Good boy, Mikael, GOOD boy! :D**_


	11. How to save a life

**_I feel something so right doing the wrong thing  
I feel something so wrong doing the right thing..._**

_**Everything that kills me makes me feel alive**_

* * *

The potion scalded my tongue and lips the first sip I took; the little I took in fried my throat and smoldered in my gut, the rest I half-spat out spilled over my hands and left me with nasty blisters that still hadn't healed a week later. It took my voice with it, too. I didn't even dare try to drink the rest. There was a distinct terror inside of me just at the sight of the bottle.

It took me that entire week of waiting, and realizing that I wasn't going to heal, before I booked out of the motel I'd been staying in and went in search of Vergil. There was no point in asking anyone else for help. They didn't understand, and they couldn't help. Lucky for me, the first place I went to look for him was exactly where he was at.

I rang the doorbell to the house where Dez had always lived, and waved my fingers at the guy who answered the door. He looked taken aback to see me, but motioned me inside. I followed him down a narrow hallway and stopped at his command. He rapped on a heavy oak door and slid it open.

"Sir."

"Hmm." the curt reply came.

"There's someone here to see you."

Rustling papers. "Were we expecting anyone this afternoon?"

"Not to my knowledge, sir."

"Strange," he drawled. "Send them in."

The guy - I guessed he was the butler - stepped aside and gestured me inside.

I gritted my teeth and walked into the room. It was a study, as rich and expensive as any I'd ever seen, all dressed up in mahogany and leather. In a black armchair near a small hearth, Dante was disassembling and cleaning his guns on a low table, his ruined coat draped carelessly over the arm of the chair. Vergil was standing at the window, a book open in his hands, and next to him on the window bunk sat Dez, a journal on her lap and a pen in hand.

Someone pushed the pause button on life for a minute because all anyone did was stare at me. Dez was the first to move, closing her journal and glancing at first Dante, then Vergil.

"What are you doing here?" she asked shakily, looking at me like I was going to do something terrible.

I lifted the bottled potion in answer, and shook it slightly before I held it out to Vergil. It was a stupid thing to do, considering he was all the way across the room from me, but I couldn't make my legs move. Dante was the one who put down what he was doing and walked over to me slowly, wiping his hands on his pants.

"What's that? The potion, right?" Dante asked uncertainly, and took the bottle from me. "What's wrong, isn't it working?"

He took the lid off and took a whiff, and very nearly dropped it in surprise. "Whoa, that smells off!"

I hugged my arms to myself and dropped my head. I'd never felt more miserable, or had so much pain to cope with. I could handle being dismembered, but this was excruciating and never-ending. Every breath was raw and, as much as I'd tried to convince myself that I'd get used to it, it just wasn't one of those things one could live with.

"So, what's up?" Dante asked, curious.

I looked from the bottle to him, wondering how I was going to explain without the use of words. I held my blistered hands up for his inspection.

"This did that?"

I nodded and reflexively took a step back when Vergil shut his book, placed it on the desk, and walked over to us. He rolled his sleeves up and took the bottle from Dante, swirling the lip of the bottle just under his nose.

"It smells as it should. The larger component of the potion is Holy Water," Vergil said and replaced the lid, looking at me. "You're not meant to get it on your skin. I'd thought you'd know as much, considering the acidity is so strong."

Oh, greeeeeaaaaaat. I pinched my eyes closed and rubbed my forehead with my fingertips. No wonder it burnt - and still burned - like hell.

"Did you get it anywhere else on you?" he asked.

I waited for a second, fighting against the sharp tears of pain welling up, and finally nodded. I tapped my throat, and I touched my lips.

"You took it in?" Dante gasped out.

I shrugged helplessly as Vergil said, "It's not made for consumption. How much did you drink?"

I pinched my thumb and index finger together, and fanned my face with my hands.

"Burning?" Vergil asked, and took my wrist when I nodded. "Come with me."

I was never more happy to have him lead me somewhere. He'd give me something to ease the pain, and maybe I'd even get my voice back, anything to reprieve me from the fire boiling inside of me. He guided me past the kitchen and down a narrow stairwell leading to the basement. Light blossomed from a low hanging light, chasing the darkness into the cracks and pores of the large room. Vergil turned toward me and dropped my wrist, looking up toward the stairs when Dante's voice floated down to us.

"Should I get anything?"

"I- I can't think," Vergil forced out, and I stared at him like he'd just shot me.

"Well get your head together and give me something when I get back," Dante said furiously before closing the door. "Karla, you need to keep your distance-" His voice faded along with Dez's worried one and I followed their footsteps down the creaking corridor until there was only the buzzing of the light bulb.

"How long ago did you drink it?"Vergil asked helplessly.

I held up my hand and showed him seven.

"At seven this morning?"

I shook my head and motioned with my thumb over my shoulder.

"Seven hours ago?"

I closed my eyes and shook my head. How did you say 'week' in sign language, and why was he losing his composure?

"I'll get you a pen," Vergil said.

I grabbed his shoulder to stop him and shook my head again. I held up seven fingers, and curled them up until only one finger remained up. Seven days in a week. Seven days in a week. Come on, Vergil,_ seven days equals one week._

His blue eyes fixed on my hands, watching my movements intensely. They flicked up to meet my own suddenly. "A week ago? You drank Holy Water a week ago? Are you certain?"

I nodded slowly, weary at his reaction.

"Cora, are you-"

The door to the basement opened and Dante came thumping halfway down the staircase and stopped to stare at me. "Any ideas yet?"

"I think she'll be fine," Vergil said doubtfully.

"After drinking Holy Water?" Dante asked equally skeptical. "How do we get it out of her?"

"We can't. She says she drank it a week ago."

"Tch, a week ago? Really?" Dante asked, coming down the rest of the stairs. "You know what Holy water does to demons, right?"

I grimaced. Of course I knew what the end result was. I shifted uneasily on my feet, looking from one face to the other.

"Well, somebody must favour you," Dante said. "Why'd it take you a week before coming to us? That's gotta burn like a bitch."

"There's got to be some spell we can do to ease the pain," Vergil said.

"You know what we've got to do," Dante contested, scowling at him.

"It'd do no harm to look for a-"

"Vergil," Dante cut in impatiently. "There's only one way to go with this."

"I don't want Karla exposed to this," Vergil said sharply.

"She's got no voice," Dante waved his hand at me. "Karla won't know any better."

"And when she finds her voice?" Vergil demanded. "This isn't going to be a walk in the park, brother."

"We'll deal with it as it comes, just like we did before," Dante said. "I don't like this any more than you do..."

Vergil shoved past Dante toward the back of the room. "I'll get the chains."

I retreated a couple of steps at his words, and looked around wildly when Dante dragged a chair from a pile of furniture stacked against the wall. The moment my instincts screeched to run was the same moment I was seized by both brothers and forced into the chair. They chained me down, firm and quick, despite my struggles, and I watched in growing foreboding as Dante nailed the chair to the ground itself.

This was not good.

Imara was brought down soon after and I warily watched her pour some kind of salt in a circle around me. She put a bucket of warm water at my feet and carefully removed my boots. She was being too gentle to come off as someone with a harmful motive; it was the only reason why I didn't yield to the temptation to kick her.

You can't do this.

I turned my head, frantically trying to see where the brothers had gone. Dante was standing to the side behind me. Vergil had his back to me, moving things around on a table. I heard glass and smelled the potion, and cringed away from him when he approached with a small needle in hand.

I drank it, and it nearly killed me. I spilled it on my skin, and it burned me. You can't put it inside of me. You're going to kill me. You can't do this. There has to be a different way.

Vergil went down on his haunches next to me and traced the thin, red, welted veins of my arm up to the inside of my elbow. I clenched my fist and strained against the chains as hard I could. You can't exorcise a demon. This wasn't going to save me. This was an execution.

The needle sank into my skin and I would have screamed if I could, not in pain but to let out the maddening rage soaring in my chest. I kicked the bucket at my feet over by accident and watched the water spread across the floor, breaking the salted circle.

Yes!

Vergil was still, watching Dante come over and mend the circle.

No!

Dante glanced up at him, and then they were both looking at me.

"I, uh," Vergil said and cleared his throat, avoiding my gaze when I glared at him. "I intended for the cure to be taken in doses. Too much would kill you. Too little will do nothing but cause pain. This is the only way it can be done."

I snarled at him soundlessly. This was bullshit. He glanced at me again, cautiously, like I would bite him if he was too direct.

"If we don't go through with this, you'll eventually die from your wounds, Cora," Dante added.

"This is going to hurt," Vergil said quietly.

I tensed. He injected the liquid in one quick, fluid motion and pulled the needle away. It seared up and down my arm a second later; a cold, burning sensation right beneath my skin. It was one thing to use the metaphor of feeling something run through your veins - it was absolute torture to experience it for real. I wanted to scratch at my arm, and at my neck. I wanted to tear my skin off to get to the bloody little veins and rip them out of me. All I could do was strain as hard against the chains that bound me as I could, an involuntary reflex. I wanted to get away from the pain, but the pain was everywhere all at once.

I don't know exactly how long I'd strained against it before it slowly, mercifully, started to subside. My feet felt numb and icy, and my face was tingling. Imara had refilled the bucket of water and put my feet back into the warmth. It burned, but it was a relieving burn. It took me a few moments to regulate my breathing. I took in a deep breath, even though it hurt, and let it out slowly. Again.

My heart was beating hard in my chest from the exertion, and it beat faster when Vergil appeared next to me with another needle. "This will hurt."

No, no, no I'm not ready-

The next dose hurt deeper and longer. It felt like I was set on fire on the inside, like little razors were cutting and scraping their way through my blood. As soon as the pain began to wane, Vergil would hit me with another dose. He was going to give me no respite, and I hated him for it. At some point in time, Dante and Imara had left, because when I was able to focus my vision again it was to see that Vergil was the only other occupant in the room.

He was dragging another dose of silver potion into the injection, his lips pursed grimly. He walked over to me, this time crouching by my other arm. He looked groggy and exhausted, staring down at the injection in his grip. He finally glanced up, not meeting my gaze. He reached over and straightened out my hand, which was locked in a claw-like position. He straightened out my other hand, too, smoothing it out and carefully putting it flat on the arm of the chair. My fingertips were bloody and raw.

He lifted my feet back into the bucket and swirled what little water was left with a finger. He stopped thoughtfully after a moment, and chanced a look at my face.

"I am sorry," he said, tiredly. "If I had done this long ago..." He sighed. "You should know that I'm doing this for my mother. She spent countless days trying to find a cure for you. I'd be doing her an injustice if I left it."

I don't care, I don't care, I don't care!

"And for Karla. She does love you, despite everything."

Please let this be over. I can't do this anymore.

"And I'm doing this for you. This is what you've wanted. It's what your heart desired most since the day I told you what would become of you."

Shut up. Shut up. I can't stand this. Stop talking!

"And..." Vergil lightly traced my veins - now less welted and a darker, greener shade than it had been before - with his finger. "I'm doing this for me."

The needle sank into my skin; the next dose made the blood rush through my head and left me feeling lightheaded. I thought I vomited. I tasted blood and bile in my mouth, a sourness in my throat that agitated the burn even more. I cried, felt tears squeeze their way from my eyes and down my cheeks, and saw drops of blood falling from my nose.

It took me some time to gather that I was having blackouts. The pain was so constant and piercing that I could never tell if I'd ever passed out. It was an eternal hell, dragged out beyond infinity. I smelled and tasted brimstone, gagged at the rotten egg stench that clung to me like a second skin.

Sometimes I'd see Vergil. Sometimes all I could see was the dim, orange glow of the light bulb shifting in and out of focus. Every time I rolled my head on my shoulders to try see if I was alone, there were more shadows. Darker shadows. More solid shadows. The light didn't reach that far into the dark anymore. Every time I opened my eyes, I felt colder. Stiff.

My muscles ached and my head throbbed. I felt the sharp end of the needle make its way into my arm once more, and blinked dazedly at Vergil. He looked half-asleep, like he'd just gotten out of bed and came right here. His hair was a mess, his features drawn tight over his cheekbones. He had a glazed look on his face, and swallowed when he caught my stare.

"This shouldn't hurt as much," he said in a raspy voice.

I watched the liquid slowly disappear into the needle, felt a chilled tightening under my skin as it made its way through my veins. He put his thumb on the spot and kept pressure there for a minute. I think I was too drained to react right away. I heard ringing in my ears and leaned my heavy head back and closed my eyes.

I was raw right down to the bone. Worse yet was that I felt like going to sleep. I gave in to the coaxing darkness, briefly wondering if this was the end.

Memories came flooding back like far away buoys, at first, and then stronger. Or maybe I was in the final throes of death - didn't people hallucinate and get confused right before they died?

Kat was there in front of me, making friendly conversation although I couldn't distinguish the words she was saying. I had to be dead. Kat was a medium, it'd be logical to assume she'd be one of the first faces I'd see. Then again, maybe I was dreaming, because I was still in the same chair, less the chains, and Kat was hauling me to my feet.

There was a lot of blackness filled with sounds and touch and textures. Water splashing. An overall feeling of warmth, like something heavy and warm had been wrapped around every inch of me. The stiffness. That hurt a lot. A cold draft. Thuds. A door closing. Utter silence as I drifted.

* * *

**...**


	12. Clarity

**_Just when I thought I reached the bottom  
I dive again_**

* * *

Kat was still there when I woke up in a strange room on an unfamiliar bed. It was night time, the pale blue shine of the stars and the moon falling across the room in elongated panels. She was slumped on a small sofa beside the bed, a cream fleece throw tugged snugly around her. She held a compact flashlight in her hand, moving the little beam from left to right across the pages of a book.

I wanted to close my eyes again and drift back to sleep; I was comfortable enough to do so, but the question of whether or not I was dead kept my body from relaxing. The door opened before I could move, and the silhouette of someone tall obscured the sharp golden light from beyond. Kat looked up from her book briefly before carrying on. The door closed quietly, and the shadow moved toward me. Part of me wanted to pull the covers over my head and hide from it, but my body had somehow locked itself in position when the figure had appeared, and I pinched my eyes closed instead.

"Her fever broke not long ago," Kat said in a whisper.

"Have you tried to wake her up?"

"No. Should I?"

"Don't know. She's probably deadbeat from the last fit of hallucinations."

"She probably won't even remember having them, if it's any consolation."

"Yeah..."

It took me a long, torturous moment of wrecking my brain to try place that voice in my head. I knew it and recognized it by the affect it was having on me; the weird butterfly feel in my stomach, and the way it made my heart trip over itself. I knew it was Dante; but the picture that kept cropping up in my mind was off, somehow. Not quite right. The voice - smooth, rich, and mature, like good wine - didn't match with the young, round-faced boy I kept recollecting in memory.

"I guess that's a given," Dante said softly.

"Why don't you take a seat?"

"I can't be here when she wakes up."

"I don't think you'll scare her with me here."

"That's not the reason." A pause. Dante blew out his breath. "I'm leaving the island as soon as she gets back on her feet."

"You might change your mind before then."

"Tch, nah, Kat. You know the reaction I get out of most people."

"She might be different?"

"If she's anything like when we were kids - and according to Vergil, she's only going to have those early memories and experiences of us - chances are slim that she'll see beyond the obvious."

"I thought you were friends as kids?"

"I used to scare her. Vergil, too, I mean, just with what we are. Humans can sense there's something wrong about us."

"I see. Sure you don't want to take a seat?"

"I'm sure. Give me a heads-up when she comes around, alright?"

"I will."

I heard the door groan open and click shut. Kat let out another long breath.

So Vergil erased my memories, or at least the details of my memories. Funny how I just knew he could do that, without being able to summon his face in my mind's eye. I remembered my family being gone - possibly dead, if the depressing sorrow I felt at the thought of them was anything to go by. And my dog. Did I have a dog? I had the impression I had one, growing up. One I loved dearly. There had been something special about him, but I couldn't recall the breed, or the colour of its coat - or was it one of those hairy dogs? - or even its name. Was it Biscuit? Bones? There was a 'b' in the name somewhere...maybe.

There had been someone I adored. Eva. I struggled to find her place in my memories. A motherly figure, but not my own. I recollected the sweet taste of cupcakes at her name. None of the memories I had were so strong and clear as those of my own family; the daily routine, school, friends, _homework_ - geeze, couldn't Vergil have erased the memory of that, too?

I think I lay for hours, sifting through my past, sometimes hanging onto the clear and dear memories, other times trying to grasp onto the vague ones that slipped through my fingers as soon as I tried to go deeper into it. I dozed off a couple of times, and woke up every time just to refresh the memories I could hang onto.  
The shadows were fading and the room was lightening when I woke up proper. I lay on my back and stared up at the ceiling, knowing that I'd just had a bad dream - the cold chills under my skin was proof enough of that.

I sat up, trying to shake the icy feeling off, and it hit me that I had no idea where I was. Kat had left the room sometime during the night, and I stared at the spot where she'd sat before. Trying to remember where I'd met her, how I knew her; trying to remember why I'd thought I was dead when I saw her earlier in the night. I got out of bed slowly, my mind racing. She'd said something about a fever - was I sick?

I stopped suddenly at the sight of the hands pushing the bed covers away. My hands. Why did they look different? Why were they covered in red, shiny patches? I turned my arms around for inspection and stared at the silver scar running up one arm. There were yellow and blue bruises in a distinct shape that I couldn't place, and my fingertips had scabs.

There was a mirror mounted on the wall and I went over to get a good look. The first thing that stunned me was that I looked like a replica of my mom. The second thing that got me was how thin I was. I looked like I'd been starving myself, and coincidentally my tummy let out a rumble. I was wearing a pretty, frilly camisole over what looked like running shorts, both of which seemed two sizes too big. It was the bald head that had me stuck. No matter how hard I stared at my reflection, my hair stayed gone. I reached up and gingerly touched my head. It felt rough and spiky, like my hair was only just starting to grow.

My stomach petitioned until I finally caved in and turned away from the mirror. Someone had left their hoody lying on the sofa, and I put it on shamelessly, pulling the hood up to hide my head. I must be really, really sick.

A quick look out the window told me I was near the coast, but nothing looked familiar. I opened the door and stepped out into the corridor. There was a flight of stairs going down at one end of the corridor, and there were only two other doors on the landing, both closed.

"Hello?" I called out, and recoiled at the sting in my throat. It broke my voice and my greeting came out as a feeble 'heh'. I shook my head and closed my eyes against the sting of tears. I moved down the stairs, cautiously clinging to the banister when my legs wobbled beneath me. The ground floor, like the first, existed of a corridor with doors branching off it. I tapped my fingers lightly on the wood banister, contemplating where to start looking for company.

Go left. Start from one corner and work my way through seemed the best method of attack. I turned, and my voice scrambled its way through my lips in a startled shriek. A girl was standing right beside me;long, unnaturally deep red hair made her look pale, like a porcelain doll, and her haunting blue eyes were staring at me. For a second I really thought it was a ghost. Too unreal to be a person, and she had a weird vibe that made me want to run for the door. I hadn't felt her or heard her, so her being there threw me off.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you," she said, her face changing into an expression of surprise and guilt. "How are you feeling? Can I get you anything? Are you okay to walk?"

I blinked at her, trying to wrap my head around the idea that she probably wasn't an hallucination. She took my hand before I could find any words and tugged at me. "The dining room is this way. Dad will be happy to see you're awake, when he and Dante get back, I mean..."

Kat was drinking some kind of herbal tea at the table when we walked in. She looked up at the sound of the girl's voice, and came over to me with a friendly smile.

"Morning. Have a seat." I was helped over to one of the chairs as the girl said, "I'll go get breakfast!"

I watched her go and turned to Kat once she was gone. "Who's that?"

"Karla." Kat said, slightly taken aback. "You don't remember her?"

"Should I remember her?" I asked weakly. The expression on Kat's face said I ought to. "Is she a cousin or a daughter of Sparda?"

"No, she's Vergil's daughter," Kat said slowly.

I tried to think of Vergil, but his face was evasive. He was a ghost on the wall in my mind. I could think of nothing to say; I wondered briefly who the mother was, if Karla looked like her, and if they had any other kids; I knew without question that it had to be someone elegant and powerful and classy like Eva, that despite not knowing much about Vergil he was probably an awesome father figure; but that was all idle chat. The lacking presence of a mother figure in the room deterred me from broaching the subject.

"Do you know what was wrong with me?" I asked, changing the topic.

"You were possessed," Kat said, and shrugged helplessly when I gaped at her. "I'm sorry, Cora. You were really really sick and we had to exorcise you."

"By a demon, you mean?" I asked, going cold at the thought.

"But you're okay now." Karla had reappeared with a tray of toast and pancakes.

I glanced at her quickly and shook my head at Kat. "How did that happen?"

"I don't really know," Kat said. "I think Dante or Vergil will be able to fill in those details fo- what? What's wrong?"

I pinched my eyes closed and hugged my arms around me. "That's crazy." I glanced at her. "Where are they?"

"I'm not sure."

"You know, my mom was always all up in my face about demons. She had so many totems and spells cast to ward them off." I paused, thinking, and let out an angry breath. "She never liked me going to see Eva because of the half-breeds."

"I don't think it was their fault," Kat said quickly, but I'd already scooted out of my chair and was getting to my feet.

"They're _demons_, Kat. I was their neighbour. How can they have no part in me becoming possessed?" I snapped.

"Maybe you were in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

I gripped the back of the chair when my legs turned to jelly at the sound of the voice. A tall, towheaded guy with cold blue eyes stood at the door, his arms folded across his chest as he leaned back against the wall. There was a shadow of a beard on his face; he had one of those faces that made it hard to pinpoint an age to. We gauged each other cautiously.

"Maybe. Or maybe you were in the wrong place altogether," I fired back.

"That's your opinion."

I squinted at him. "You look different."

He puckered his lips and sighed, casting a glance to the side, like he was already bored with the conversation. "So do you."

I narrowed my eyes at him and reached up to make sure the hoody was still in place. "Screw you, Sparda."

That evoked a reaction from him that I didn't expect. He let out his breath as if I'd just punched him, and looked at me with the biggest, most incredulous smile. "I'd wager I'm a bit more good looking than Sparda was."

My mind was blank for a second before it hit me who he was, or might be, because the scene had suddenly become very unreal. "You're Dante?"

He shrugged in answer and I found myself staring at him, partially in denial, partially in awe - because he kind of _was_ better looking than Sparda.

_Get yourself together, Cora!_

"If you weren't in some measure responsible for me becoming possessed then who is to blame? The last memory I have is of you when we were kids, and then I wake up in a place I've never been before with you at the wheel. Kind of dodgy, don't you think?"

"Still, not my fault," Dante said lightly. "Don't mistake me getting involved as a scapegoat. I didn't _have_ to help you."

I drew in my breath and clenched my fists. As much as I wanted to, playing the blame-game wasn't going to get me anywhere, and I could feel the truth in what he was saying. The silence in the room was awkward and lengthy.

"Why don't we start over?" It was more a command than a question, and I tore my gaze from Dante's to look at Kat uneasily. She was standing as well, her arms spread wide like a referee ready to intervene. "Let's sit down and talk this through. Okay?"

Dante was the first to oblige, strolling around the table to sink heavily into the chair beside Kat. I followed his example and reclaimed my own seat, and hugged my arms to my chest again as I watched him closely.

He folded his hands together and put them on the table as he leaned forward. "So, where do we start?"

* * *

**...this was endless. *kicks muse***

**Sidenote: we're dealing with earthquakes over here. It's doused my inspiration to write a bit, so as a forewarning expect some major delays in updates in the future (or not, just a heads up either way). **

**\And that's not a metaphor. I mean actual earthquakes.**


	13. Our love is tragedy

**_You are the piece of me  
I wish I didn't need_**

* * *

~...~

I was orphaned before my eleventh birthday. My family were tragic casualties in an attack intended for Sparda. I was the sole survivor.  
This is what I understood from the vague and censored answers given to me. I wanted to know more, I wanted to know everything.

Vergil suggested that we start out slow with the questions I had. Apparently asking to fill in all the blanks was not a valid question. It'd be too much, too soon, he said.

Then there were the unspoken, unquestionable threads that tied us all together. The three of them were on good terms, I could almost tap dance on the solidity of their friendship. It was finding my place with them that I was still trying to puzzle out sometime down the road. Kat, I knew the shortest amount of time; whether we'd been good friends before was debatable. All I knew was that she was reliable and that I could trust her. It was enough for me.

Finding where I stood, or should stand, with Dante and Vergil was a different matter. For the most part, I tried to avoid being alone with them in the same room - there was always that initial fear that never seemed to fade, that came right on cue as soon as those blue eyes turned on me - but somehow I always ended up in the study with Vergil. Kat and Dante would be out 'working on a case', and Karla went to school, so for a great part of my day I'd either be alone, or alone with Vergil.

He was nice, in his...aloof indifference. He kept out of my space and gave me room to breathe. Constantly asking if there was anything I needed - in a lame fit of self-pity once I told him it'd be nice to have my hair back, the next day Kat handed me a small collection of potions and a step-by-step guide on how to use it for hair growth. There wasn't any awkward silences between us either. Every time he'd join me in the study I'd worry that it was going to be uncomfortable being in the same vicinity with his coldness, but then he'd tell me about what was going on in the city. In the world. In politics and religious wars and new laws being put into place. He was always willing to hear my opinion, and I was always willing to give it, because we agreed on just about everything. It made for good company and good conversation. We could talk about anything under the sun - except my lost memories.

He shut down real fast when I brought it up. Questions he was fine with answering, but he never elaborated on them or mentioned anything otherwise.

Dante was a completely other story. Half of the time I wanted to strangle him or slap him, or get a restraining order against him, but most of the time I just seemed to lose my head and melt in his presence. When I woke up in the mornings, my first thought was to see him; when he was out 'working' I'd worry that he'd get killed; when he was gone, I'd miss him and wonder where he was, who he was with, what he was doing. But then he'd show up and I'd quarantine myself in my room because he was intimidating, incredibly frustrating, and there was a chemistry between us that was so obvious it was embarrassing.

I couldn't put myself with one without denying the other. I wanted both but I knew I could have neither. Which is why I was dressed very early one weekday morning and ready to venture out into the city, to get myself together. Someone had once given me the advice to remove myself from the situation. I couldn't remember who, or why, but I thought I'd take it anyway.

No one was awake when I left the house. I fumbled with my beanie as I started down the street and pulled it on over my not-too-short-but-not-long-enough-yet hair. The sky was overcast and I could smell rain. The air had that familiar static to it which, if memory serves right, would produce a lightning storm. I knew that if I'd been a kid, I'd be cowering somewhere in a little corner of the house, preferably in a room with no windows. But strolling down the shadowy street, I had no notions of fear toward the possibility of lightning. Funny. It had been a phobia of mine. People didn't just outgrow their phobias, did they?

It felt good to be out. I hadn't thought it would make much difference, whether I stayed indoors and fretted about the two devils or went out, but it did. I felt lighter. Free. The word 'human' popped into my head, and I toyed with it. Could one feel human if you have no memory of being anything other than human?

My feet seemed to know the way through the city, even when I thought I was helplessly lost. There had been some sort of invasion - a couple of months back now - that had left the city in ruins. There were parts of it that the remaining council decided would be demolished, other parts were mid-reconstruction. It was a nice place to pack off on a holiday, anyway.

Maybe I'd get something to eat and then go for a walk on the beach, and then I'll decide what I'm going to do.

The problem was finding a place open this early on. All the stores were closed, all the houses I passed still quiet. I knew in another twenty minutes, life would start to buzz. The stillness would be broken, and my peaceful solitude would end. That's what I was short in supply of, human company. I heard a loud bang up ahead, like something heavy hit the cobblestone. I looked down a short alleyway as I passed the source of the sound. A truck had pulled up at a back entrance of a store, and the loud bang had been the truck door coming to rest on the ground.

It was the flash of white that had me pause. For a second I thought it was Dante, because he was the only other person I knew who had a big mop of white-blonde hair like that. But then the figure in black and red straightened with a big box in his arms, and turned to unload it from the truck. I watched him disappear through a backdoor, and caught the logo on the side of the truck. The Pizza Factory.

I pursed my lips together and mentally chastised myself for thinking of Dante. Dante this, Dante that. What was I, a schoolgirl with a crush? I took a step.

"G'morning."

I stopped again. The guy had reappeared and was picking another box out of the truck. He was looking at me in surprise.

"Morning," I mumbled back, about to carry on down the street when he huffed.

"Mind giving me a hand?"

I stared at the guy, thinking for a minute that I'd ought to tell him off for even asking me that. I mean, who did that to a passerby? The florist never asked me to water the flowers I loved to look at. Now this guy wanted me to-

"I'll give you a free pizza as payment," he added when he saw my expression.

"Pizza for breakfast. Seriously, who has pizza for breakfast?" I asked, surprised.

"I do, every morning," he said and frowned at me. "Trust me, you don't want to miss out. It's a once in a lifetime offer."

I debated giving him the finger and walking off, but I'd feel like the rude one if I did that. I glanced up and down the street, and then shrugged. "Okay."  
I grabbed a box - it was heavy and filled to the brim with mushrooms - and followed the guy through the door, through a back room and into a well lit, cosy kitchen. "Don't bother with the payment," I said after shouldering the box onto a counter. The idea of having some heavy, cheese loaded thing for breakfast made me feel a little sick.

"Don't shoot yourself in the foot," the guy replied, and heaved his box onto another counter with a grunt. He turned to look at me, wiping his hands on his jeans, and I thought for a second that he may be related to Dante in some form. But he was too warm and too human. His eyes were a luminous ocean-green - pretty for a guy, maybe even exceptional, but not inhuman. And he had a sweet smile, and dimples that would make the term cute seem weak for description... why was he smiling at me?

"You're staring," he said, somewhat disconcerted.

"I am not," I retorted, internally wishing I could open a portal and disappear into it right there.

"Okay," he said doubtfully and nodded toward the door. "I've got a few more boxes to bring in."

"Okay."

I helped him unload five more boxes before he locked up the truck, and closed the door behind us when we stepped into the store with the last box. "So, what do you like for breakfast?" he asked.

"I don't know. Pancakes? Scrambled eggs and bacon?" I answered, confused. "Wait, are you asking me on a date?"

He glanced over his shoulder at me and grinned, and placed the box on the floor. "I usually make it a point to know the name of a girl before I start asking for dates."

I scowled at him when he started pulling equipment out of drawers.

"Although I'm sure you must have a bunch of guys lined up for dates already," he added, "but I meant to ask what kind of pizza you'd like. Scrambled eggs and bacon, you say?"

I stared at him. "You lost me. Do you mean you're going to make a pizza of eggs and bacon? Isn't that called an omelette?"

"I offered you a pizza, I'll make you a pizza. Customized to your liking."

"I'm sorry, I'm really struggling to wrap my head around this. Who has eggs on pizza?"

"Wait, say no more," the guy said, holding his hand up. "Let the pizza do the talking, yeah?"

I shrugged, still pretty confused, and sat down on an upturned empty crate, watching him toss ingredients into a giant bowl. A minute later he had an armful of dough out on the counter and kneaded it with expertise.

"Are you new around here?" he asked, glancing at me every few seconds.

"I guess, I'm not sure."

"'kay. Thick base or thin base?"

"I don't have a preference," I said and shook my head. He'd torn off a piece of the dough, chucked the rest back into the bowl, and started spreading it thin with a rolling pin. "No, that's not- you're supposed to let it rise."

"Huhm?" He didn't stop, even when I got up to stand next to him.

"You're supposed to leave the dough to double in size before you start shaping the base."

"Of course you do, unless you take a shortcut like I do and skip to the next step."

"There is no shortcut," I frowned at him.

"You know a thing or two about pizza, do you?" he looked amused.

"Yeah, I learned from the best. You're doing it wrong."

He smiled at me and paused, resting his hands on the rolling pin. "It's a special recipe. I don't have the patience or time to do it the traditional way, so I created a simple and effective recipe."

"That tastes like pizza?" I asked doubtfully.

"That tastes better than pizza."

"You know people don't like change, right? Pizza has to taste like pizza and look like pizza, else it's not pizza."

"I don't know, I've been doing pretty well so far."

I shook my head. The dough didn't even look like proper dough; it was all sticky, like cookie dough, and it didn't smell like proper dough either.

"Why don't you best me then?"

"What?" I asked, looking at him like he'd just asked me something incredibly inappropriate.

"Grab a bowl and get the flour. You show me how you think it should be done. Then you can have my pizza, and I'll have yours, and we'll see which is the best."

I stared at the dough as the lazy part of me argued how much work had to go into it. Too much effort, and for what?  
_Distraction_? It's not like I'm doing anything productive anyway. I rolled up my sleeves and loosened my shoulders. "You're on."

By the time he'd removed his pizza from the oven, I was only just starting to layer my own with sauces, herbs and cheese. By then, he knew where I lived and who I lived with and my whole sad, twisted little story; and I knew he lived in the studio above the store by himself, and that he'd moved to Fortuna to setup a new branch for his pizza franchise.

His breakfast pizza - layered with scrambled egg, bacon, sundried tomatoes and tangy barbecue sauce - was just the right size, with just the right amount of toppings, and despite myself, I really enjoyed it.

"So who taught you how to make pizza?" he asked curiously.

I spread the toppings - green pepper, mushrooms, pepperoni, to name a few - painstakingly careful over the dough, and shrugged at him. "Can't remember."

"You seem to not remember a lot of things."

"Yeah...but I remember how to do this. Weird, huh?"

"If you ever wanted to find out what's in your past, I could help."

"How so?" I shoveled the pizza into the oven.

"I know a guy who can warp time."

I blinked slowly and narrowed my eyes at him. He held his hands up in surrender. "Just putting it out there."

"Warp time? You mean like twist it or something?" I asked uneasily.

"I mean like - like - have you ever seen the movie Click?" When I shook my head, he carried on. "He can rewind time itself."

"Like time travel, you mean?"

"_Like_ time travel, less the duplicates of yourself."

"Well that's no good," I said apprehensively. "What if I don't like what I find out? How do I get back to the here and now?"

"Technically, there won't be a here and now," he grimaced and scratched the back of his head. "It would be like you're starting all over again from whatever time and place in memory you want to go to."

"So if I tried this out, would it restore my memories?"

"Yesss... and no. You'll only remember things as they're happening. So you'll be able to change it."

"That sounds really complicated and risky."

"It is, but I figured you sound like you really need to know what happened in your past so it might be worth mentioning."

"There's a lot of fine print I don't think I even want to read for that kind of thing," I admitted.

"I wouldn't know, I don't read," he said playfully. "You realize you've pretty much got a clean slate to start off with right now, don't you?"

"Uh, no?" I said with contempt. I hated not knowing where I've been, what I've done, who I've been with. I needed those missing pieces to make sense of the present, and direct my future.

"Really?" he scrunched up his face, and for a second I was tempted to poke his cheeks because he really was cute. "You know how many people would give anything to forget their past and start over?"

"A billion?" I said lamely. "I don't care. I'm not one of those people..."

"Take my advice. Don't torture yourself. There's probably good reason why you've forgotten your past."

"Oh, and what would that reason be?"

"Well how many people do you know who have suppressed memories of the good old times, eh?" He lifted his eyebrows at me, challenging.

I caved in. "Touché."

"What did you think?"

For a second I was lost as to what he meant, and I almost made a fool of myself by answering until I noticed him looking at the empty plate off to my side.

"It was good."

"Just good?" he fished.

"Better than I expected. What's your secret?" I asked, eyeing my pizza still baking in the depths of the oven.

"That's confidential. For employees only." He flashed a cheeky grin and nodded. "That smells about ready."

I watched him remove the pizza from the oven and cut it into triangles. He picked up a piece and the cheese oozed down the sides. He took a bite, and leaned back against the counter lazily.

"Did I mention I can tell the future?" he asked through mouthfuls.

"You're not serious, are you?" I asked, slightly disappointed. He seemed like a genuine guy, but this was a bit much.

"Of course I'm serious. You have a bright future ahead of you. You're going to become rich..."

"Are you trying to be funny?" I asked.

"... no, I told you I'm being serious. Tomorrow, you're going to lose the beanie and wear this cap instead," he said, picking a black cap out of one of the boxes and handing it to me. "Tomorrow, you're going to be here at seven sharp. Tomorrow, you're going to start your new job at The Pizza Factory, and you're going to keep creating good pizza like this."

"But I wasn't looking for a job-"

"I told you, I can tell the future, tomorrow you start work here. And in about two minutes you're going to meet your future co-workers, and you're going to get out of here because it's going to get busy and cramped in this kitchen real quick."

"Okay, wait, you don't even know who I am and you're hiring me as a kitchen hand?"

"Nope," he said, and twirled me toward the door leading to the backroom. "I'm appointing you as co-manager of the branch if you pitch up on time tomorrow."

"But I don't know anything about managing things!" I protested, somewhat dazed at what was going on. This was crazy!

"Of course you do. You managed to survive possession and an exorcism, I'm pretty sure this is going to be a piece of cake for you." He gave me a gentle shove toward the door just as it opened and people in red and black uniform started filing into the kitchen, sending me curious glances as they moved past me toward their work counters.

I turned around at the door, feeling very claustrophobic in the small, overflowing kitchen. I looked at the guy, who was talking to one of the workers.

"You still don't know my name!" I called over the din of people talking and utensils clashing.

He glanced toward me and smiled that dimpled smile. "You'll tell me tomorrow!"

I fled through the backroom and out into the alley, wondering whether or not he was being a chauvinistic opportunist to think I'd actually be weak and confused enough to show my face here again tomorrow, or whether he was really just trying to be nice and help in a weird, funny way. I doubted I'd go back. He was the first person I'd had a conversation with outside of the household, and I'd spilled my guts like he'd sliced me open with just a glance. I hadn't bargained on the idea of seeing him again. Ever.

The city had woken up when I merged with the foot traffic. The sky was darker than it had been before, and the chill in the air just before I reached the beach turned into rain. I pulled the cap over my beanie and hugged my coat tighter around me. I stopped to look up and down the beach for a bench I could unwind on, when a crack of lightning whipped in my ears. I jumped a little and saw the bright, dazzling flashes on the dark horizon. I stood watching it for a while, and then sat and watched it some more.

There was something painfully familiar about the way it crackled and snapped; it was more than just having seen lightning before. It was more than that. I could feel the truth of it, could feel the memory of what it was teasing just out of my grasp. I wanted to grab it. I wanted to pull it back into me. I wanted to remember so much right then. If only there was some way I could just conjure-

"Enjoying the view?"

-up lightning.

I blinked at Dante next to me - how I mistook that other guy for him, I have no idea - stumped for a moment. I hadn't expected him, and I wondered for a brief second if he'd come looking for me. I turned my gaze back toward the display of lightning - jagged white and gold and purple against a dark, heavy grey sky - and tried to gather my head. I felt a streak of outrage; why did he have that mind-numbing effect on me? I tried to gather my scattered thoughts together until I had the last one back in place, but it was all jumbled up. I had meant I wished there was some way I could conjure up my memories. Not conjure lightning.

Conjure lightning.

Why did those two words leave a hollow pit in my stomach? I wiped a hand down my face, even though it was pointless because by now it was pouring buckets. Conjure lightning. Was that something I'd been able to do when I'd been possessed? I looked at Dante, and felt my face flush under his gaze.

"Was I...like... able to summon lightning?"

Dante leaned back on his elbows, oblivious to the rain, and cleared his throat. He watched the horizon, and I waited.

"Lightning, no, but you had a static shield. It used to give me one hell of a shock." A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips, so brief that I would have missed it if I hadn't been watching him. He cleared his throat again and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He sat up and gave me a quick look. "We should get back. You'll get sick out here."

I didn't resist when he hauled me to my feet, and we walked side by side back toward the center of the city. I didn't want to think about me, or what I had been, anymore. Explanation for absence of lightning phobia - check. Moving on.

"Did something happen between us?" I blurted out, and was grateful for the rain obscuring just how red I could feel my face go. "Like, you know, after I became possessed and stuff?"

"You'll need to be more specific. Lots of things happened between us after you became possessed."

"Things like... you know. Right?" I didn't want to say it. I couldn't say it. Why couldn't I just spit it out?

"Things like?"

"If you really don't know what I'm talking about then that's answer enough," I said tightly, embarrassed at myself for saying anything in the first place and upset because he didn't seem to be catching on at all.

"Alright."

We walked in silence until the house came into view, and I stopped. I had to get this out before I went back in there. Dante paused and turned around a few paces away, spreading his arms and giving me a questioning look.

Spit it out. It's now or never. Well, not really, but-

"Did you like me?" Stupid. That came out so, so stupid. "I mean, did we, y'know-" Wrong, wrong, wrong! Try again. "Were we together, like a couple?"

There, I finally got it out.

Dante had an amused look on his face. "Yeah."

I stared at him, not quite believing how casual he was about this. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. You thought I was hot. I thought you were cute. We hooked up."

I wanted to be relieved by his answer, I really did. It was almost bliss knowing that I wasn't just fabricating these emotions around him, that they were genuine, reasonable and justifiable. There was one major hiccup, though, and I didn't know if I wanted the answer or not.

"Then why aren't we still hooked up?"

We stared at each other and I could see him milling my question over and over in his mind.

"Things got in the way," he finally said.

"Things like my being possessed?"

"Things I'd rather not discuss."

"That's not fair!"I shouted when he started toward the house. "Dante!"

It took me a few minutes to fight down the sudden lump in my throat, and I shook my head fiercely. Even if I had no memories to go on, the whirlwind of emotions inside me told their own story. I could only guess, but I didn't want to.

Dante held the door for me and I stomped inside and onto the welcoming mat. I crouched down to yank off my muddy boots and didn't bother to look up when Kat joined us in the front foyer.

"It's raining cats and dogs out there. What were you guys doing?"

"Chilling out on the beach," Dante muttered.

"You were gone a while," Vergil said.

"Aw, did you miss me?"

"Cora?"

I shrugged in response, putting my boots together neatly on the shoe rack before pushing myself up off the ground. "I'll be in the study," I breathed past the lump that had somehow grown down into my chest.

I fled to the study, and was in the midst of taking off my soaked coat when I noticed Vergil had followed me.

* * *

** Tonberry: nope, nope, nope, the 'blonde' was my bad, I went and changed it. I put my blame on it being 2am when I wrote that. :D**

**I think I have a poll on my profile page for this story. I can't remember. Followers of this fic may want to go have a look at it and cast your vote.**


	14. Our love is insanity

**_One step closer..._**

* * *

"I'd meant to leave a note because I was gone so early," I said, turning sideways to hide my face from Vergil. Even if I wasn't crying, I felt like it was written all over my face. I felt too exposed and vulnerable, but I couldn't exactly tell him to get out. "But it was early. I forgot."

"You were gone for a long time. What was your plan?"

"I didn't have one," I said. I spread my coat out carefully over the back of a chair and took the cap off my head.

"You had us a bit worried."

"What for? I thought Fortuna is a safe place?" I asked, tracing the embroidered name on the cap with my finger before putting it on the desk.

"It is."

I frowned at the clipped tone in his voice, and risked turning to look at him. This time he avoided my gaze. He looked very troubled, scowling at the carpet, rubbing his jaw like he was thinking hard, and his lips were pulled down in the corners. It was surprising and confusing enough to untie the lump in my chest a little, and I could breathe again.

"Why, were you worried I wouldn't come back or something?" I asked, somewhat amused that his icy exterior would crumble because I went out for a walk.

His eyes shot up and it felt like he was scrutinizing my soul. "What did Dante tell you?" The fierceness in his voice chilled me to the core.

_Nothing. He was being an idiot. Why are you so wound up all of a sudden?_ I debated telling him that; partially because it felt like a natural, instinctive thing to do. The quickest way to ease the moment. I wanted to get away, both because it still felt like my heart was breaking, and because Vergil was a little scary. But there was something in his composure, in this intense, heated moment, that made me question him. Maybe... was it possible that he hadn't always been so cold toward me? That there was something hidden beneath his indifference, something fueling the fire he was exposing right now?

"He said I used to have a static shield," I said carefully.

The tension rolled off his shoulders; it was subtle, but I noticed. His eyes were still dark, and I could see him slowly starting to reel himself back under control.

"And that we had been a couple."

The tension raced right back.

"And that something got between us. Something he doesn't want to discuss." I tried to keep my voice even, and I think I succeeded. While I was trying to gather enough courage and the right words to say more, Vergil pulled the chair out from the desk and sat down.

"Yes. Well," he said heavily.

"I want you to tell me what happened between us, Vergil."

He barely glanced up at me, and by his expression I could tell he was going to say something about specifics again.

"Why did Dante and I break up?" I added.

"It's not my place to say."

I wanted to stomp my foot and scream in his face right then. Instead I crossed my arms and stomped from the study instead. I made a big show of slamming the door behind me and made sure he could hear every step I took up the stairs. Karla was waiting for me at the top of the stairs, which made me feel a little silly because I'm pretty sure she threw a tantrum similar to this only a couple of days ago.

"You okay?" she asked when I reached the landing.

"No." I snapped.

"Anything I can help you with?"

"Not unless you know what the hell happened with me and Dante."

Karla grabbed me almost angrily by the sleeve when I headed for my room, and I spun to face her.

"You and Dante? What do you mean_ you and Dante_?"

"What do you mean what do I mean?" She looked almost as livid as I was, if not more.

"But- no._ No_. That's wrong. You and Dad-" Karla broke off, her face flushing red with fury. "There shouldn't be any you and _Dante._"

"What?" I wondered if she'd lost her mind for a second. Maybe I was spending too much time with Vergil, giving her the wrong impression that there was something..._ but was there something?_

"What do you mean me and your dad?" I almost hissed at her.

"Why don't you ask him?" she hissed right back.

"Wait, not this bullshit, okay. _You_ tell me _now_," I poked her hard on the shoulder. "What about me and Vergil?"

"You were together!"

"You mean now?"

"I mean in the past. You guys were a couple, you were serious. Not like the flings Uncle Dante has- ugh, that's so gross. You were actually with him, too? Look, you and dad had-"

"That's enough."

We both whipped apart and toward the stairs, like two little kids caught fighting over a stolen cookie. Vergil had ascended the stairs halfway already and I started for my bedroom door.

"Wait! You have to talk about this!" Karla protested.

"I said that's enough. You are not to speak to her again, is that clear?" Vergil scolded.

"You can't forbid me to talk to my own-"

"Do you want to test that theory?" Vergil cut in angrily.

I was in my room. I closed the door and leaned back against it, and hung on tightly to the doorknob, just incase he tried to follow me.  
What was I doing? I wasn't a kid anymore. I went out there to find the truth, so why was I trying to hide from it now? I can't believe I'm actually going to take the advice of a teenager.

I flung the door open and stepped into the corridor again. Vergil was still climbing into Karla, who looked like she was shrinking under his authority. I had to know. Even if I didn't like it. I took a breath and lost it a split second later when he looked at me in surprise. For some inexplicable reason I wanted to giggle at his reaction.

Don't be stupid,_ this is serious._

I hesitated, and then brushed past him down the stairs. I heard him follow in my wake a heartbeat later. I went into the study, and stepped aside when he came into the room after me.

"Where are you going?"

I moved around him and closed the door. I turned the key, and glanced over my shoulder at him when the lock clicked into place. "I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you. Not until you tell me what I need to know."

"You can't hold me prisoner in my own house," Vergil said with a disbelieving chuckle.

"Not in your house, just in this room." I'd turned to lean my back against the door and was watching him closely. There was a little voice somewhere in my mind that was crying about this scenario. "Who was I with? You, or Dante?"

Vergil sighed heavily and reclaimed his seat. It was silent for what felt like a long time, but I didn't want to repeat the question. Just voicing it out loud once was hard enough. He knew, I could see it in his eyes, it was written all over his face. He knew, but I couldn't guess why it was so hard for him to admit that.

"What does your heart tell you?" he asked finally.

"That it's pretty messed up. I wouldn't trust what it has to say." I thought I saw a flash of a smile, but I couldn't be sure. "Now answer me."

"You were with both of us." He gave the answer so quickly that I wasn't ready for it.

"At the same time?" I stared at him.

"At times, yes."

I stared at him some more. "You're taking this really well for somebody I cheated on. Or did I cheat with you on- ohhh." I stared at the carpet in turn, letting it sink in. Dante and I were a couple, but then I fell for Vergil and cheated? I couldn't fathom it being the other way around. Dante was... a wildcard. Risky. Not the kind of guy you'd just go cheat with on a boyfriend who looked to have a good head on him. "Well, that makes sense." I said.

"Huh. Now that you know what you wanted to know, am I free to leave?"

"No," I snorted. "What's the deal?"

"What?" Vergil looked utterly lost.

"If you and I were an item, why are we not an item still?"

"That has to be your choice."

"Really?" I asked, wrinkling my nose. That sounded...off. "Why not just tell me we're together so we can... you know..._ be together_?"

Vergil rose from the chair and started toward me slowly. I tensed when he reached for the key, and I grabbed his hand to stop him. He froze, and even though we were face to face, he somehow managed to not look me in the eye. I gripped his hand hard when he tried to turn the key.

"When I said you're not leaving, I meant it," I said in a low voice.

"What do you want from me?" Vergil asked in equal tone.

"Just tell me! It's not rocket science!"

Vergil swallowed hard, and his tone didn't change when he spoke again. "You want me to tell you that we were together before with intention that you will assume that we are still together now?"

"I...guess..." I blinked. That was loaded. What happened to us then?

"I'm tempted, but I took a vow with my brother that neither of us will influence you in your decision."

"So did you and I break up then?" I asked, thoroughly disoriented. First he says this, then he says that - what the hell is going on?

"It's not that simple, Cora!" Vergil exploded, and tried the key again.

I dug my nails into his skin, not caring if I drew blood, and managed to force his hand away from the doorknob. I caught my breath when he snatched my hand in turn, and then my other hand, and held them prisoner between us.

"No!" I almost yelled, furious when he unlocked the door with his free hand. I threw my weight back into the door just as he opened it, ignoring the dull pain in my back on impact. "You're not going to leave me hanging!"

"Are you insane?" He bit the words off, finally looking at me.

"Apparently having been possessed has its side-effects," I retorted coldly. "You want to turn me into that crazy ex girlfriend, then go ahead, leave. I'm going to hound you until you either tell me the truth or concuss me."

"Really?"

"Yes, really!"

"We were never truly together."

My mind couldn't process it. No, wait, my mind could. My emotions couldn't. I tried to free my hands from his grip, failed, and aimed to kick him in the shin instead. He'd somehow anticipated my reaction because the next thing I knew, he had one of his legs in between mine and had me physically pinned hard against the door with his weight.

"Stop it!" he growled.

"What the hell do you mean we were never truly together? Why are you contradicting yourself? Why are you playing with my head?" I fumed.

"I'm _not_," he said, and let go of me so suddenly that I had to catch myself from falling forward. "You thought I was Dante."

I stumbled back when he ripped the door open and left.

* * *

**Oh. My. Friggin. Hell.**

**My tenses are mixed up. I know it is. I KNOW it is. Unfortunately I'm suffering from author blindness. Please point out any flaws if you spot them? I still can't get my tenses right with first person narrative. EISH!**

**And PLEASE vote in my poll on my profile page. PLEEEAAAASSSSEEE? . **


	15. Take a guess!

**_Nothing fixes a thing so intently in the memory  
as the wish to forget it. - Michel de Montaigne_**

* * *

I'd had no intention of going back to the store, yet it was barely past seven in the morning and I was stepping through the backdoor which had been left unlocked. The guy from the day before was stocking up the deep steel buckets with toppings. I could smell the pungent onions and the sweetness of teriyaki sauce before I'd even stepped into the kitchen.

"Ingredients are on the back shelf," he said when he glimpsed up at me.

I quietly took the bags of flour and yeast from the shelves he indicated, rolled up my sleeves, and got out a gigantic steel bowl from under one of the counters.

"Tired?" he asked, glancing at me again.

"Very," I said. I hadn't been able to sleep last night. The exchange with Vergil had left me shell-shocked for a while, and then it had sunk in. He was right - it wasn't as simple as picking up where we left of. No wonder Dante didn't want to talk about it.

"Mikael."

I looked at the guy beside me dazedly as I measured cup after cup of flour. "Cora."

"Hmm. Coffee?"

"Please."

The rest of the morning was spent mixing and kneading dough, with strong coffee in between. The kitchen was bustling with staff before the sun opened its lazy eye. There was a slender, blonde girl standing behind the counter as cashier; an unhealthily pale boy with odd, golden eyes and pitch black hair smoothed back in a classic style was already spreading toppings and sauces on a couple of pizza bases; and another girl with wavy dark locks and weird, orangish eyes right beside him. I forgot their names as soon as they introduced themselves, and only remembered the manager's name when one of the girls said it when talking to him.

Mikael gestured me to take a seat in the backroom when the phone started ringing, and he joined me soon after. I'd been wrong before - he didn't look all that much like Dante. It was just the hair that blinded and fooled me. His face was rounder and his features softer, and he lacked that edge behind his eyes.

"You know, I _do_ know a guy."

"I don't think going back in time is going to fix anything," I said. I thought about it. "Unless I can make them wear shirts with their names printed on it, I guess."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. It's complicated."

"Nothing is complicated, nor is anything impossible. It's thinking that makes it so."

I eyed him incredulously, and he furrowed one eyebrow at me. "So... you recon I can get my memory back?"

"Like I said, I know a guy."

"Well let's go then!"

His eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open when I moved off my stool and turned to him expectantly. "Wait. Ha! Just wait a minute. What are you going to do once you get your memory back?"

"I don't know," I shrugged, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. "I'll probably have a better idea then on what I should do. Why? Are you backing out now?"

"What are you planning on doing now with what you've got?"

"I don't know," I repeated, and frowned at him. "I'm in love with twins and apparently I was with both of them, too."

"Yikes, that's-"

"I know!" I cut in icily.

"-cheeky." He cocked his head to the side and smiled. "I'm willing to help you, but you need to get a better perspective on past events before I do."

"I wouldn't have used the word cheeky..." I said, blushing despite myself.

"Do you have feelings for them, or do you just like the way they make you feel?"

"I have no idea." Why was I talking to a stranger about this again? "I like being around Dante but at the same time I can't stand him-"

"Uh-huh."

I paused. "And Vergil... I don't really know how I feel about him. He's kind of... scary...you know I need to know what went on with us. I can't talk about this without knowing for sure."

"Are you scared of him?"

"Sometimes," I shrugged defensively. "You'd be, too."

"But you can stand him better than this Dante guy."

I stared at him uneasily. "What are you trying to get at?"

"I'm a guru at romance," Mikael flashed a roguish grin. "I say ditch Dante and go for Vergil."

"It's not that simple..."

"Yes, it is, actually," Mikael said, getting off his stool. "Why don't you try talking to him?"

"I did. He told me I mistook him for Dante. Which means-"

"That he doesn't take rejection well?" Mikael interrupted, and gave me a meaningful look. "Like I said, Cora, you need to get a better perspective before I help you."

"What if you're wrong, and I really do love Dante and that's why I kept mistaking Vergil for him?" I fired back.

"What if_ you're_ wrong, and the real reason you mistook him for Dante is because you wanted Dante to _be_ Vergil?"

"_What?_" I bit back. "How would you even come to that conclusion?"

"I've been there before." Mikael puckered his lips. "A few times. A lot. Enough times to know what I'm talking about, anyway."

"You've been there before," I repeated blankly, and stepped aside in pure irritation when he came to lean against the wall beside me. "Meaning what? You're a twin, too?"

Mikael crossed his arms over his chest slowly and nodded toward the kitchen without breaking eye contact. "Andrea and I go way back. I met her when she was a little girl. For a long time I protected her, and then we became friends, and then we fell in love. You can't always pick your soulmate. Sometimes these things just happen."

"Andrea's the blonde girl, right?" I asked feebly, tearing my gaze away from his to look at the girl on the phone. She was pretty and seemed to have a golden sheen about her. Good vibes. "So what?" I finally asked him when I couldn't connect the dots.

"So, I was old when we met the first time. Young, I guess, by certain standards in certain worlds, but I had a few centuries behind me before I laid eyes on her."

I felt a chill at his words, but he was so casual and relaxed that I thought he might be joking. "You're like a vampire?"

"No," Mikael said quickly, shaking his head at me disapprovingly. "Cannibalism isn't my thing."

"A demon then?"

He wanted to smile - his lips picked up slightly in the corners - and he shook his head again. "The point of the story is that things were meant to be complicated, but it wasn't. She was from here, I was from there," he gestured with his hands, "she was a human kid, I was part of something older and more powerful. I never intended to fall for her and neither did she. But we did, even though the worlds were out to keep us apart."

"So?"

"So, we took the sum of us and took all the other factors out of the equation. We forgot everyone else, everything else, and made a choice to simplify things based off nothing but what our hearts were telling us."

I sniffed, reflecting on my feelings for Vergil. When he put it like that... maybe it would be better not to know after all. "That's probably the most romantic thing I've ever heard a guy say."

Mikael chuckled lightly under his breath and slipped his hands into his jeans pockets. "Like I said, I've got a few centuries behind me. You don't learn these things easy. Trial and error, Cora."

I chewed my lip and looked down at my trainers. "Can you have more than one soulmate at a time?"

"Sure."

My head snapped up to look at him. He must have seen the turmoil on my face because the grin on his face fell away fast. "How do I know who I'm meant to be with, then?"

"Soulmates are magnets," he shrugged almost apologetically. "They can't go for long without the other. My bets are on whoever comes looking for you first."

"Is that a safe bet?" I asked weakly.

There was a peculiar look in his eye, and he finally dropped his head. "Tell you what. After work, I'll take you to go see the guy."

* * *

_**Virtual cookies for whoever can name the other two OC's mentioned.**_

_**And I'll dedicate the next chapter to whomever gets it right. (Which means I'm not updating again until I get some guesses!) :3**_


	16. Dancing down memory lane

**_Burn everything you love and burn  
the ashes_**

* * *

My nerves were shot by the end of the day. I ended up having to man the cashier a couple of times when Andrea had to go out for deliveries, and remove pizza after pizza from the oven only to replace it with another, and then box them up for both delivery and pickup. All of that was okay. Focussing on anything other than Vergil was okay. Although, I didn't realise that when Mikael said 'after work' he meant near eleven o'clock at night. My back hurt, my feet were achy, and my eyes felt sore from all the onions I had to cut up during the day, and I was exhausted.

"You okay, Cora?" the girl with the dark hair asked me, for the millionth time, when I plastered myself onto a stool with the intent to not budge off it unless there was another apocalypse.

"I'm just tired."

"You'll get used to the workload," the girl was saying when Andrea appeared from the backroom. She froze over so suddenly that I couldn't help but freeze with her.

"Where's Mikael?" Andrea asked, scowling.

"Uh..." the girl twisted around to snatch one of the orders off the strip of cork board that ran along the counter. "Devil May Cry, I think. Your handwriting sucks, Anny."

"Shut up, Faye. Where's Gahiji gone?" Andrea asked, strolling into the kitchen and pulling the cue of orders off one by one.

"Who cares?" Faye snorted in disgust, and straightened suddenly when she looked past me.

"The other guy? I think he left over twenty minutes ago," I said, and glanced over my shoulder to see Mikael had returned.

"You're not too tired, are you? We can reschedule this for another day," he said, taking in my slightly dishevelled appearance while he unbuttoned his uniform shirt.

"No, I'm good to go," I said slowly, blinked, and looked away when he unceremoniously took off his shirt and threw it against the back wall.

Faye was openly gawking, and Andrea was giving her an impatient look in turn before her hard green eyes focused on mine. She smiled faintly at me, and watched Mikael with a bored expression on her face. I chanced another glance at him, and felt my face burn when he caught my eye just before yanking a white T over his head.

"Ready?" he asked innocently.

"Really," Andrea tisked, and gave him a slap against the chest on her way past. "See you guys tomorrow."

"Well. I guess that's my cue, too," Faye said, gliding toward the exit. She paused for a minute beside Mikael, and I thought my eyes were going to drop out of my head when she playfully ran her fingers across his chest in the exact spot where Andrea had hit him.

"You know where I live, yes?" she asked in a sultry voice.

Mikael grinned widely, and sunk his hands into his pockets. "Not tonight."

"Suit yourself," Faye said in a sing-song voice.

Then it was just the two of us. Him still wearing that grin, and me wondering what the hell I was thinking trusting some random flirt with _everything_.

"What was that?" I asked accusingly.

"A bit of fun," he said sheepishly. "Don't look at me like that, Cora."

"I thought you said you and Andrea are together?"

Mikael blew his breath through his lips with a brpf sound. "I wish. She kicked me out. Broke it off. Whatever you want to call it."

"I thought you said you're soulmates?"

"We are. Why do you think she's _still_ around me? Come on, Cora, you've got bigger things on your plate than worrying about my dysfunctional love life. Shall we get going?"

I didn't know, until Mikael led me to the quiet and dark docking port, that we were actually going to leave the island. I stood uncertain on the creaking wood, watching him flick on the light on a small speed boat. It only had two seats. I glanced out toward the black horizon, then back at the silent city behind me.

"Where are we going?"

"He lives on the main land," Mikael said, finding his balance before he reached his hand toward me. "It's not that far. We should get there before midnight."

"I don't know if I can leave the island," I said uneasily. "The ferry doesn't come in again until tomorrow morning. They won't be able to follow me. What if I make them worry?"

"I think you've already done that."

"Because I've been out all day?" I asked, rocking from one foot to the other. Why was this so hard to do?

"Well Dante looked pretty pissed when I saw him-"

"Wait, you _know_ him?" I burst out at the mention of his name.

"_No_, I don't know him, personally. He does seem to like our pizza a lot. Get in the boat, Cora." Mikael flexed his fingers. "Time's ticking. Are we going or not?"

I forced myself to take his hand and climb into the boat. He didn't waste much time to get out of there - if anything, he looked a bit rushed. We'd just pulled out into the harbour when I caught sight of a silhouette stalking the length of the dock. I turned as far as I could to stare, but we were too far out already for me to accurately recognise his features.

At that distance, I couldn't tell if the figure in black was Dante or Vergil. I fixed myself in the seat when the lights of the coast disappeared and looked over at Mikael despondently.

This had better work.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right place?" I asked anxiously.

I'd been surprised when Mikael had taken me back to Metropolis, of all places. My surprise dwindled into apprehension when we ended up inside a club, and he dished up some vague excuse that this mysterious guy he knew was going to meet me there. As we sat waiting in the strobe-lit place, I fidgeted with my fingers, and my sleeves, and when Mikael gave me a funny look for fidgeting, I ended up trying to mime his posture and stuck my hands in my own jacket pockets. It was a shock to feel something hard in one, and after fidgeting with it blindly I figured it had to be a mobile phone.

Which was weird, because I didn't own a mobile phone.

"Is he going to show up any time soon?" I asked for the third time since we'd entered the club. I didn't like the looks some of the people were sending us. There was something amiss about the place, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly what.

"You need to chill," Mikael said impatiently. "He'll be here."

"Well he's taking his time, isn't he?" I said tightly.

"You would too if you got a call in the dead of night to go out and help someone you don't even know," Mikael blustered. "Just be thankful he's willing to help."

I bit my lip to keep from responding. He was being a jerk about it, but I didn't think I was in the position to shoot my mouth off.

"Want a drink?" he asked, already halfway out of the booth. "I'll bring you some girly cocktail."

He was gone before I could say anything, and I decided to take out the mobile in my pocket. The neon pink case told me it was Karla's. How'd her phone get into _my_ jacket? I jerked in my seat when the screen suddenly lit up and the ringtone was lost under the thumping music vibrating the walls. I stared, perplexed, at the name flashing at me. Maybe it was just Karla trying to find her phone so she was ringing it from the house. Yeah.

I pushed the answer icon before I could miss the call.

"Karla?" I asked into it, covering my other ear with my hand. I couldn't hear anything on the other end. I shifted out of the booth I was in and headed for the ladies room, shouting 'just hang on a minute, I can't hear you' into the phone.

The doors had to be soundproof because once I was in the small, smelly toilet room, I could hear no music from the club, but I could hear everything very clearly on the other line. I knew right away that I was wrong with my guess that it was Karla, and that it really was her father, as her caller ID had stated.

"Vergil?" I asked tentatively when he didn't speak.

A long beat of silence. I heard mumbling in the background - it sounded like Kat. Then a huff from Vergil.

"Cora, I need you to listen to me." His voice sent silky, sweet shocks up into my head and down into the pit of my stomach. I didn't think I'd ever feel so relieved to hear his voice. There was something oddly soothing about it.

"Okay," I said weakly.

"Wherever you are, you need to get away."

Not what I was expecting. "I'm fine?"

"_Listen_ to me."

I had this awful sense that we've had this discussion before. I licked my lips and readjusted my grip on the phone. "Okay, I'm listening."

"Do you know where you are?"

I opened my mouth to reply, and paused when I heard him repeat the question almost angrily. "Do you know where she is?"

"I can't say for sure. There's something blocking me. She's somewhere in the central city but I keep getting kicked off track when I close in-" Kat was saying in muffled tones.

"Cora, you need to get out of there. Do you remember where we used to live?" Vergil asked.

"No, I don't," I said, fighting down the drop of panic. "Everything looks different to what I remember."

"Do you think you could find Taper Avenue? Love Planet? The school, or the sports field, did you pass any of these on your way?"

"I wasn't paying attention," I said quietly, and rubbed the back of my neck nervously. "Why should I leave?"

He was quiet for a moment. "Is it really necessary that you know why?"

"Kind of. I'm meeting up with some guy who can help me with my memories."

"Don't."

I sank down against the wall onto my haunches, careful not to touch the grimy floor with my hands. I swallowed hard. "Why? If there is anything you don't want me to find out this way, then you'd best just tell me what it is now."

"You don't understand_. I_ erased your memories."

I stared at the opposite wall, stumped silent.

"It would have to take a very, _very_ powerful demon to restore them to you, Cora. Demons don't play nice. There will be a costly price to pay for his services. Do you understand what I am saying? You have put yourself in unnecessary danger. Cora, are you listening to me?"

"Yes," I choked out.

"Don't try to negotiate. Don't try to back out of the deal. Just get out of there and run as fast as you can."

"Where do I go?" I asked, already pushing the door open.

"It doesn't matter. I'll find you."

I trudged through the crowd of people, holding the phone like it was my lifeline. It gave me the perfect opportunity to wave Mikael off when he spotted me and started toward me with drinks in hand. I gestured at the phone, at the door, and then I was through the door. I was going to start running when somebody grabbed my elbow and spun me around almost roughly.

"Let go," I gasped out, yanking my arm free.

"Touchy, are we?" Mikael joked. "Don't let the nerves get to you. He'll be here- oh, speak of the devil."

I went cold at his words and knew, without needing to turn around, that the mystery guy was right behind me. "I'm on the phone, do you mind giving me a minute?"

"Not at all," Mikael said.

"_I_ mind."

I jerked away from the voice and found myself next to Mikael, facing toward a replica of him. His clone seemed bigger, somehow, stronger, even though they looked the spitting image of one another. Except the other one wore a very displeased expression and his eyes had a callous edge when he looked at me.

I backed away from him instinctively, and he held his hands up to stop me. My feet stuck. I glanced down at my shoes, wondering if I'd stepped in something that made it near impossible to lift my feet, and found nothing. My heart raced up my throat suddenly. There was nothing there. No visible restraints, anyway.

"Look," he said with a jaded voice. "I don't know who you are. I don't care. I owe Mikael a favour. Think nothing of this, alright? Pretend this never happened."

He reached for me, and I panicked. "But I don't have anything to repay you with!"

He paused, and shook his head like I'd just made the lamest joke in the world. Then he snatched my hands into his, and the phone fell to the curb. "Regaining your memory is the price you will pay."

"What- what's that mean?" I asked, unable to break his grip. "Getting my memories back... my memories are the price?What-"

"In case Mikael hadn't already informed you, you were better off without them."

There was a painful jolt between our hands, like static electricity on a massive scale, only it travelled up my arms; a shivery, bouncing sensation that raced its way into my head. Then there was a cold implosion. It eradicated the fuzzy, safety of the warm cocoon I hadn't known I was in, and bled through my vision into the world around me. Like somebody had ripped me out of a pleasant dream and kicked me straight back into cold, cruel reality.

I stared back at the guy and slowly disengaged my hands from his, fighting with myself about either punching him or thanking him. Neither would do. He was an innocent bystander who tried to help. Mikael had picked up the phone and was holding it to me. I looked from the phone to him and back. He had no idea. The sign behind him read familiar words that sent ripples of terror down my spine.

The Hot Spot.

I took the phone from him, wishing that this was a nightmare and knowing by the oblivious expression on Mikael's face, and the sympathetic one from his brother, that it wasn't. The air was cool, and buzzing with energy that I hadn't picked up before because I hadn't known to look out for it.

"This never happened." He said again, almost pleadingly, and then he was steering Mikael back into the club.

I watched them, heard Mikael's confused 'can't just leave her...', and then I was running.

* * *

**_*munches virtual cookies*_**


	17. The Hunted

**_Careful making wishes in the dark  
Can't be sure when they hit their mark  
And besides in the mean time I just  
_****_dream of tearing you apart_**

* * *

Taper Avenue was a ten minute walk away. I knew this, because my memory told me so. I ran it in half that time. Roman's house was exactly where it used to be, but I had no time or mind to stop and gawk in sentiment. I slipped into the backyard and scrambled my way as quietly as I could up into the tree house. Once I was sure no one, and nothing, had followed me, I took the mobile out. I cradled it against my drawn up knees and tried to shield the screen light with my hand. The screen had a thin crack in it, but it still worked. I found Vergil's number and pressed the dial option.

I curled myself into the tightest, smallest ball in the corner, hugging the phone to my ear as it rang. I expected instant loathing. Or fear. Or disgust. If memory served, those were the predominant feelings that Vergil's presence evoked. Funny that now I had no issue with calling him - the guy I was meant to hate - when I could recall another time when I'd had to force myself to call him for help. How hurt my ego had been then.

The only emotion that conjured itself in my chest when he answered now was immense relief.

"Are you safe?"

_What would you really care about my safety?_ But he does care. I'd have to be either deaf or completely stupid not to hear that in his voice.

"I don't know, where is safe?" I whispered, glancing toward the exit of the tree house.

"Don't let them catch you."

We were both quiet for a long time, but I could hear his even breathing, and found a little comfort in that. There was white noise on the other side, too. I wondered briefly whether he'd found a boat to set after me. It had to have been him at the docks. My curiosity was brief before it drowned in the sluggish panic spinning inside of me. It didn't matter how he got here, just so long as he did. But what if he wasn't chasing me down? What if I was being an idiot in assuming that he was?

Well, that was simple. The demons would hunt me down. I'd be dead before sunrise. The only protection to be had was Vergil. Otherwise, I didn't stand a chance.

"I know," I finally said.

"What's that?" He had that tone of voice like he was distracted.

"I know what they would do to me."

"I won't let them-"

He thought I was talking about the guy from the club. "I know why, too." I licked my lips when I heard him inhale sharply.

"You realize what is at stake?"

"Oh yeah," I said quietly. Did I ever. The demons here would be out for my blood if they knew I was around, that worse yet, I had gone back to being human again. Can't have a human walking around with the knowledge of hell. I knew everything._ Everything. _The puzzle pieces, both from my past and from recent endeavours, all clicked together with a resounding clap of doom. I knew.

That Eva was alive and well - because I knew she hadn't been present the day of the attack. I'd made sure. I'd made triple sure she was on the other side of the city. I hadn't been exposed to Vergil's deceit, didn't know that he'd created the well-played impression that Mundus had destroyed their family. But then I _had_ known. My mind had been too corrupt to take it in, but the show of blood all over Mundus that had had the scent of human sinew; it'd been real, I could pick it from my memories as clear as day now. I'd been too obsessed with my vengeance on Vergil to wonder where the human blood had come from. It hadn't mattered then. Now it was painfully obvious that it had been a farce.

I knew that both Dante and Vergil were still alive, and by far more powerful than they'd been as children. That they had been stocking up on revenge all these years. That Dante had disappeared from the radar before Mundus could pick up on him; that Mundus had, like me, believed that he had Sparda's heir imprisoned and driven mad. I knew Mundus had no idea that Dante existed, and that he was going to be hunting down Vergil once he noticed the doppelganger was no longer trapped in madness.

Worst of all - and I knew Vergil wouldn't take this into account, because he hadn't a clue - I knew where Sparda was.  
He thought Sparda was dead, but he wasn't.  
I knew how to get to him, because I was there when they took him down. I knew how to set him free because I helped chain him in the first place.

Every atom in my soul was stoked to do just that. I knew what Sparda had done for mankind before. It was in the history books. My people practically worshipped him because we are indebted to him. Ever since he was taken under, demons have been everywhere. Long gone were the days when demons was just a bed-time tactic used to scare kids. I could try to undo what Mundus had accomplished.

I knew it, and the demons I'd been affiliated with knew it, too. Mortal or not, I had become the biggest threat the demon realm had seen in a while. One that could very easily and quickly be destroyed.

"You've regained your memory."

I pressed my other cheek against the hard, dark wall, and closed my eyes. I would have preferred to still be in the same frame of mind from that morning. I would have preferred to have Vergil, and all the things he'd done, and how I really felt about him, to be my main concern. But our history together paled in comparison to the real problem. So much so that I could shrug it off.

"You're on your way, aren't you?" I replied.

"I'll be there within fifteen minutes."

"I'm on Taper Avenue."

There was a long silence again before he spoke, his voice hesitant. "I did it to keep you safe."

I frowned at the darkness around me, and shook my head. "You mean wiping my memory?"

"Not only that. Everything."

"Oh, Vergil," I sighed and hugged myself harder to the wall. "What does any of it matter?"

"It matters that you're still alive."

I paused, listening. I could almost hear his thoughts, so I said it for him. "Because of you?"

"Of course. Dante has done his share but not as thoroughly as I have."

I lifted my eyebrows in surprise. I hadn't noticed just how straight forward he could be. "He did okay."

"When I returned from the underworld..."

"You sliced off my hand. Good times," I interrupted lightly. Funny how neither the fact nor the memory of that made me resent him. I'm sure it had before.

"...to find you at a strip club, I knew I never should have left you in his care. He'd been unable to protect you. He'd been unable to keep your honour."

"It wasn't his fault I was there," I whispered in defence.

"You would never have set foot in that seedy place if I had anything to do with it."

"Because it shamed your reputation?"

"You met _me_ there, didn't you?" Vergil said slowly. "It was your reputation I was worried about."

"Yeah, I worry about that, too," I said, suddenly feeling very cold. Reputation. Why did I have to go make a reputation for myself in the demon realm? The looks I'd caught at the club earlier tonight - there'd been a reason they'd set me on edge. I stiffened, trying to recall the faces and cursing myself for not taking it all in. I wanted to go peek my head outside, but there was a primal fear inside of me that kept me immobile in the corner. They were out there. I couldn't hear them, or see them, or even smell them, but pure intuition told me they'd found me.

"Are you far off?" I whispered, trying to keep the fear from my voice, and failing miserably.

"We're about to land. Are you safe?"

I could hear a faint whir above me, getting louder the closer it got. A plane. I didn't even want to think how he got hold of a plane, or who was piloting it.

"No," I mumbled softly, and pinched my eyes closed as hard as I could. Don't be scared. Don't be afraid. Just breathe. They can smell your fear.

I heard a tinny, unearthly snarl from the dark below. It vibrated up the trunk of the tree and scratched into my bones.

"Shit!" Instinct took over before logic could, and it was just as well. I bolted from the corner only seconds before the floorboards splintered apart and a big, bulky form materialised where I'd been cowering. I jumped, disregarding how high up I was, because all that mattered was putting as much distance between me and that thing as humanly possible.

I hit the ground hard. Pain flared through my knee and shoulder, but I was running again. There was no time for pain. I was on the side walk, trying to stick to the shadows, knowing that it was pointless because demons could see very well in the dark, and then a house behind me exploded. I ran faster, my steps coinciding with the beat of my racing heart. I had to go past the club to get to the clearing, to where the Redgrave house had once stood, to where I was pretty sure the plane had gone to land.

I had to go past it. There was no way I could take a back route, not with a massive black demon right on my heels. I couldn't afford to change direction. The idea petrified me. I was on the street. I saw the club on the opposite side. Closer, and closer. Past it. The building right in front of me started to collapse. I pushed harder and kept going, not stopping when bricks started raining down on me - I was in for far worse than a few falling bricks if they caught me - and not looking over my shoulder when I heard the bricks and concrete thunder all over the road.

Not far now. Not far now. Don't let them catch you.

There was a sharp pain in my thigh. It doesn't matter, don't slow down.

They're going to catch up to me. The clearing outside the city had nothing to deter them. No buildings to knock down. No trees in the way. They were going to catch up to me. I was running away from the inevitable. The reality of this hit me just as the vast desert road came into view.

I was in the clear. I was running through nothing but darkness and air. I thought I saw lights up ahead, and then the ground started to shake. I stumbled, unable to find my footing and crashed hard onto the ground. I tried to get back up and saw two figures emerging from the darkness, coats swaying around their ankles. I'd recognise the long silhouette of Yamato and the enormous hilt of Rebellion anywhere. Hope sparked in my heart, and then footsteps stomped to a halt over me.

I looked up, and stared up at a familiar face that I'd never thought I would ever, ever be afraid of.

"Little one." The demon growled out.

* * *

**_Holy crap, every time I think I'm near the end of the story, a new twist stretches it out! D:_**


	18. Late Night Fun

**_Don't want to let you down  
But I am hell bound_**

* * *

It was like the world suddenly disappeared around me and all I could see was Kurst. Begging was out of the question. So was escape. His large, meaty demon fingers curled around the arm I'd reflexively brought up to shield whatever blows he'd meant to aim at me. I felt like a glass twig in the hand of a giant, and offered no resistance. Struggling and fighting back triggered Kurst's violent fits. I knew as much from tormenting lesser demons, and sometimes humans, right along side him in years past. One slap and he'd knock me out cold; one punch and he'd crush my skull. As it were, I could feel my hand turning blue and going numb as his grip cut off my circulation.

"There's two ways we can go about this. My way," steel sang through the air, "or your way."

My mouth went dry._ Shut up_, Dante! Kurst was hovering over me, and his grip turned to steel at his words. My breath hissed in at the sudden blinding pain in my arm and I involuntarily leaned away from him, anchoring my weight down as my strength; a frantic, spur of the moment action I had no control over. I heard a pop and knew I'd dislocated my shoulder, a second before I heard the rumbling roar start in the demon general's throat.

He lifted me into the air by my arm and smashed me back onto the ground like a rag doll. The impact hurt and knocked the breath out of me. His roar made me want to cover my ears and curl into a ball - instead I tried to scratch his hand off my arm. I was making it worse. He lifted me again and threw me aside like a piece of trash. I went rolling and spinning over the ground right into the thick of a mob of spiny, humanoid demons. I wiped out a bunch of them before I came to a pain-ridden stop, and then their hands were all over me.

Hot, scorching hands. They may as well have thrown me into a pit of fire. I tried to scream, but I couldn't catch my breath, and I tried to fight them off, even though the pain of doing so made me dizzy. They were relentless and mimed my screams in sadistic, high pitches as they started to drag me away.

Shots were fired, and the demons squealed. It was like balloons exploding in a domino effect all around me. One moment I was being burned and dragged, the next I was flat on my face. I had to turn my head to see where they had gone because it was like I was looking through binoculars. My sight was restricted to whatever was right in front of me, and my face... my face was burning. I tried to push myself off the ground and succeeded only to roll over onto my back.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Shooting stars raced past above me.

I turned my head toward the source of the shots and came face to face with leather boots. The coat swaying behind them was red. Dante stepped and stood over me, just as Kurst had earlier, and fired calculated shots at the demons. That was the first time I took notice that there were no empty shells falling from the massive guns. There ought to have been, I'm sure there had been when I'd used them, but it was like he was firing magic bullets.

I'm going to be okay. He'd stepped up his game. He wouldn't run out of bullets, and I knew from the fierce determination scribbled on his face that he wasn't going to cease fire until we were safe.

Something grabbed my foot and pulled me out from underneath him. I opened my mouth to scream, and found that my lips were tingling like crazy. Vergil's face loomed before me in the dark. He got hold of my good arm and hauled me to my feet.

"We need to go."

His fingers entwined with mine, and I followed him as quickly as I could toward the black outline of a small plane. Dante was right behind us, firing off several more shots before he leaped into the plane before us. He reached down and pulled me up, and then I was being strapped into a seat, and Vergil was right beside me. I glanced at the back of Dante's head in the pilot seat before the glass dome lowered over us. I looked out into the dark, trying to see the carnage, hoping that Kurst was lying dead somewhere.

There was a surprising amount of demons still limbering toward the plane; enough to stand a threat. Why hadn't Dante taken them all out? I couldn't see Kurst, but then it was so dark out there...

Dante gunned the plane and I pressed myself hard into my seat as we started racing toward the country side on the lonely stretch of road. The plane bumped and ground over demons that got in the way. Then we were tipped back and sailing into the air. Once we reached altitude and evened out, Vergil unbuckled himself from his seat to crouch in the cramped space between us and the front seat. He anchored both my hands to my lap and cupped my chin in his free hand. He forced me to turn away from the window and look at him instead.

"Cora, breathe. Deep breath in. Slow breath out."

I shook my head wildly. I can't catch my breath, I wanted to say, but when I tried to find my voice, all I could do was suck in little breaths that didn't quite reach into my lungs. I was suddenly suffocating. My chest was going to explode. Kurst must have hurt me worse than I'd initially thought.

"Are you okay?" Dante asked worriedly from the front.

"Use your stomach to breathe in. Focus on me, Cora. Deep breath in," Vergil said calmly, and I obeyed. "And slowly release."

Breathe in. Five, four, three, two, one. Annnnnnnnd breathe out for five, four, three, two, one. It took a few moments of repeating this cycle before my lips stopped tingling, and my chest stopped hurting, and I could breathe - and see - again.

"You'll be alright," Vergil said, holding my gaze with his. "It was just a panic attack."

He let me go and settled back into the seat beside me. I closed my eyes, letting his words wrap themselves around me. Panic attack. Nothing more. Unpleasant, yes, but at least it wasn't a bite or a scratch. I breathed out slowly through my lips. Yeah, a panic attack had nothing on demon venom. I'm okay.

"That was cutting it a bit close," Vergil said beside me.

"You don't say," Dante retorted. "So where are we headed?"

"Prosperity."

I opened my eyes when that ended the conversation and squinted at them in the dark. It took me a minute to catch on that it wasn't just a vague, witty answer from Vergil, but the hometown where my mom had grown up. Where Aunt Babe and Uncle Dill had happily lived all their lives until I came around. Until Vergil came around.

The memory of that abrupt, disturbing silence...of smelling their blood before I even saw their mutilated bodies... A chill went down my spine. I stared out the window, discreetly and gradually putting as much distance between me and Vergil as the small cockpit would allow. I knew we couldn't go back to Fortuna, we couldn't risk exposing Karla. But I really didn't want to go back to Prosperity. Too many bad memories.

Maybe I could make a run for it. Once we touched down, I could sneak away. I knew the city better than either of them, it wouldn't be hard to do. I could go underground- no, that would be too risky since I couldn't tell the difference between human and demon that easily anymore. I could escape to the desert. Maybe find a cave and...exist there? It wouldn't be much of a life, but I'd have a better chance of staying safe, secure and hidden, than if I was to stay with either Vergil or Dante. They had a distinct scent that demons could pick out of a crowd. They would be a beacon to my whereabouts.

And then what?

I tried to find an answer, but kept coming up blank. I wanted to go save Sparda, but there was no way I could do that by myself. I'd have to stick with the brothers, despite the risk of being found. Which meant I'd have to deal with my memories with them right there.

Maybe it won't be so bad? Oh, who am I kidding? I could barely glance at Vergil's reflection in the glass. He had to know what I was thinking-

I flinched when he touched my injured arm. I glared at his fingers gently resting on my skin and felt tears sting my eyes when I caught the way he was looking at me.

"We need to get you to a hospital."

I'm fine, I wanted to snap at him, but I wasn't fine. Every bruise and graze and wound was throbbing. Bricks really did hurt when throttled at you. "Can't you do anything?" I asked instead. "What about those vital orbs or whatever?"

Vergil stared back at me blankly. "Cora, I'm not a doctor."

"The vitality stars. Those... were they blue or green?... those orbs, you know the ones you used before to heal me." His eyebrows lifted as I stammered over my words.

"When you were a demon?" he asked resentfully.

I deflated. "It only works on demons?" Vergil sighed in response, and I let out an involuntary hiccup. "You're going to leave me at some hospital in the middle of nowhere?"

"Do you really think we'd just ditch you?" Dante asked in sheer annoyance when it was clear Vergil wasn't going to say anything more.

"No," I said in a small voice. "I don't like hospitals, that's all."

"We'll be right there," Dante said in softer tones.

"We've got this under control," Vergil added.

"Right," Dante said. "One night in hospital won't hurt you."

I was still ill at ease with the idea by the time we'd landed and somehow got our hands on a rental car. I wanted to take Dante's words and beat him over the head with it when all I was subjected to for the first ten minutes in hospital was excruciating pain. The doctors and nurses on call popped my shoulder back into its socket - which hurt probably more than anything else the entire evening - and they poked and prodded and scanned me all over until they were satisfied that they knew the extent of my injuries. Only then, after my entire forearm was put into a cast and a sling, and my other wounds were either stitched or padded, did the pain killers kick in. I felt like I was in a haze, but that was okay because it meant I wasn't hurting.

I didn't have to stay the night either. It was sometime long after midnight and just before dawn that we were driving toward a motel somewhere outside of the city fringe. We drove past my aunt and uncle's apartment on the way, and all I kept thinking about was who found them. When were they found? Were they buried? Who cleaned up the mess? Were there new tenants occupying the place? If I had gone to knock on the door, would they have stored my belongings somewhere or would they have trashed it?

What made it worse was feeling Vergil watching me in the rearview mirror. I didn't have to look - I didn't want to look - to know he was watching me. There was a hard slither of fear in me that there might be something in his eyes that I didn't want to see.

I recognized the motel before we'd come to a stop in the parking lot. I sat rigidly in the backseat while Dante went to get us a room, and stared numbly at the heavy white cast on my arm.

"They said it will heal in a few weeks," Vergil broke the silence.

I nodded briefly. "I don't want to be here."

"Neither do I."

I forced myself to look up at him. He'd turned in the front seat and sat facing me, watching me with cold, hard blue eyes. His gaze darted from my arm to my face, and it looked like he wanted to say something, but decided against it. My door suddenly opened and Dante leaned down to look from me to Vergil and back.

"I got two rooms."

"Great," Vergil said, and I started scooting awkwardly to the edge of my seat. I swung my legs out of the car and squinted tiredly up at Dante.

"Need a hand?" he asked, offering his arm.

"Really?" I grumbled at his cheeky grin, but took hold of his arm and used it to move myself out of the car.

I trailed behind him - to I swear it was the exact same room we'd shared years ago - and stood aside when he unlocked and pushed the door open for me.

"Home sweet home," Dante said lightly as I walked into the strikingly familiar room. Big double bed smack in the middle of the small room, small grayscale TV mounted on the wall opposite, even the rickety arm chair beside the bed looked exactly as I remembered.

"Where is our room?" Vergil asked outside.

"Right next door," Dante said, and tossed the keys to him. I heard Vergil catch it, and the neighbouring door creak open a moment later.

I could hear him walk in the next room. It set my nerves slightly at ease. The walls had to be paper thin. I sank down on the edge of my bed. I swear they hadn't even changed the linen since we were here last.

"You should probably get some rest," Dante said, idling in the doorway. "Shout if you need me."

"What if I can't?" I asked.

"Then bang on the wall."

I could hear the springs squeak in the other room when Vergil got onto the bed. "What if I can't?"

"We're right next door, Cora, there's nothing to be afraid of."

"Can't I stay in your room?" I asked hopefully.

"There are only two beds."

"Well can't someone stay in my room then?" I pleaded.

"...with one bed?" Dante asked, arching his eyebrows at me incredulously.

"I just don't want to be alone, okay?" I snapped.

_"We're right here..."_

"Says the invincible half-breed who didn't just get his arm broken into smithereens!" I yelled at him. I took a breath to calm myself.

Dante stared at me, surprised, and shook his head. "No, Cora."

"Dante, please-"

He lifted his hand to cut me off and shook his finger at me. "No." He closed the door before I could protest.

I fought the urge to either burst into tears, or follow him. I eventually got hold of myself and shifted back onto the bed, and struggled for ages to get comfortable. How did people with broken arms ever sleep? I punched my pillows until they were as puffy as stuffed sheep, and finally reached toward the wall above my head. I hesitated - what if they were already asleep? - and rapped on the wall a couple of times. I waited to hear a reply of some sort, and propped myself up on my good arm when I heard the door creak open.

There were butterflies in my stomach. My door opened ajar, and a head poked inside, and to my horror I couldn't tell which brother it was. The realization turned me into stone.

"Are you alright?" Vergil asked after surveying my room.

"I need more pillows," I answered weakly.

He nodded and disappeared. I heard the other door open and Dante's sleepy voice. "What's wrong?"

"Cora needs more pillows."

"Hmm take mine. Hey, wait. Take this."

"It's unnecessary."

"I know that. Tell her it's a goodnight kiss from me."

There was a loud thwack and Dante groaned through a chuckle. The door opened and closed, and then Vergil was back in my room. It took us a few minutes to arrange the pillows just right, and then he put a sleek black gun on my bedside table. He paused with his hand still on it and looked at me.

"Thanks," I whispered, staring at Ebony.

"Is there anything else you need?"

I shook my head and relaxed back into my pillows before finally tearing my gaze from the gun to his face. He was always worrying about me. He was always the one who came running when I was in need. Uncanny how I could only grasp that fact now. He'd always been the one to chase me down, ever since we were kids. I had countless times been furious that it was Vergil, not Dante, who came looking for me.

Crap, maybe that Mikael guy had it right.

I can't think about that now. I'm too sore and too tired. I need a clear head. "Good night."

He moved away from Ebony and gave me an exhausted, brief smile. "Good night."

I was asleep before I even heard my door close.

* * *

_***bounce bounce bounce* I luffles Dante! :D**_


	19. Broken Dreams

**_ If you had one shot to seize everything you ever wanted  
Would you capture it or just let it slip?_**

* * *

His screams were the worst.  
The demons have been tormenting him, more than before.  
Before, he'd been left in solitude, with nothing but his own helplessness to plague him. Visitors to him had been brief and scarce.  
Back when I'd been one of them.  
Now he was bloody, and torn up; his eyes were wild and red, and his screams...  
Because of me. I was to blame. It was public knowledge.  
They were making him suffer to torment me, too. To carry across a message I could interpret in so many different ways.  
And I... I was too scared to respond.  
The cold sweats I'd woken up with - ever since I'd had the demon pulled out of me - this was to blame. Nightmares. Every night, without fail, only to forget the moment I opened my eyes.

Only this time, I'd been sleeping too lightly. I'd known I was dreaming while I was in the nightmare, and the images had scalded themselves into my mind. They were still there, fresh and raw, when I'd jerked awake twenty minutes later. They were still there when a couple of hours later the sky lightened outside my window.

I could still hear his screams echoing in my head.

My door opened and I stiffened, staring at it through tired, blurry eyes. Dante slipped inside and made a show of closing the door as quietly as possible. He narrowed his steely blue eyes at me, and gestured to me to stay quiet. He tip toed over to my bed - I can't remember the last time I'd seen him without shoes on - and carefully lifted himself onto it. He crawled closer to me and paused, his eyes darting over my face. He leaned over to peek under the bed suspiciously before he sank into the pillows right beside me.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" he whispered.

"Besides that you're a weirdo?" I asked, and cringed when he pressed his finger against my lips.

"Keep it down," he hushed. "You don't look too good. Did you get any sleep in?"

"Not really," I said quietly, and pinched my eyes closed tiredly. "Why were you checking under my bed?"

"Thought you might have a Boogeyman visit. It looks like he stopped by."

"Oh." My sigh turned into a yawn. "I thought you were checking for Vergil."

"Tch," Dante muttered. "Yeah, right."

I rubbed my forehead tiredly and popped open one eye when he nudged me with his shoulder. "_Ow_, Dante."

He was suddenly too close to me. I blinked when his face hovered inches from my own. I hadn't noticed before that he had a stubble going on. It looked good.

"I know that look," he was saying seriously and I watched, captivated, while his lips moved, before his words set my cheeks ablaze. "Have you had a nightm- what?"

I stared back at him wide eyed. "Huh?"

He moved away a little to survey me, very obviously confused with the signals I seemed to be blasting off. "Did you have a nightmare or... did something happen?"

I didn't like the way he glanced at the wall behind my bed. He meant Vergil, and the mere idea made my stomach knot. "It was a nightmare. I was kidding earlier when I said about Vergil under the bed-"

"I know," Dante interrupted, straightening up and perching on the edge of the bed. I couldn't help the flash of disappointment at the distance he was putting between us.

"How did you guess it was a nightmare?" I asked, partially because I was curious, but mostly because I could tell he was going to leave. I really didn't want him to go just yet.

"You used to get them a lot after you were first exposed to the demon realm,"he said, sliding off the bed. He started for the door.

Right. Think fast, Cora. "I don't remember," I lied.

"Maybe that's a good thing," Dante said, turning to me patiently.

"No, I don't remember the nightmares because I wasn't alone when they woke me up."

The shift in his gaze melted me to the core, and I wanted nothing more than to have him wrap his arms around me then. He swallowed hard and took a step back toward the bed, and another, before stopping rigidly.

"I made a deal..."

"So break it," I whispered.

"I can't."

"Let me guess, because it's a twin thing?" I snapped.

Dante raised his hands and motioned to me to lower my voice. "Because it's easier this way," he whispered.

"You think this is _easy_?"

"No," he snapped, and cringed at the sound. He added in a lower voice, "It will be worth it in the long run."

I stared at him and tried hard not to get mad. "And what if I don't choose you?"

Dante looked startled for a second. Then he shook off his composed restraint and, slowly, climbed back onto my bed until he was practically on top of me. He leaned down, and I hoped it was for a kiss but I knew, before he opened his mouth, that he wasn't going to cave.

"Really?" he challenged.

"You really think you've got this in the bag, don't you?" I said shakily.

"There was never any doubt," he said huskily, and his smile gave my heart goosebumps.

I bit my lip, wondering whether I told him what I was really worried about or not. His eyes darted down to my lips, and the yearning on his face right then was like a mirror to what I was feeling on the inside.

Just say it. I'd say it to Vergil without a second thought. I should be able to open up to Dante just as much, if not more. "What... if there is no long run?"

He chuckled softly. "Always the optimist," he taunted, and moved his gaze up to meet mine. I could drown in those eyes. He inched his lips closer to mine, playfully slow, and grazed them over mine so fast and soft that my mind couldn't register it.

A loud clunk came from the other room, and Dante was suddenly halfway to the door.

"Hey!" I protested.

"Breakfast, good, yes, done," Dante said loudly. He wiggled his fingers and added in a mischievous whisper, "this was all a dream."

"Chocolate pancakes, thank you," I retorted.

He winked at me and then he was gone. I somehow managed to get myself off the bed and to the en-suite bathroom. When I emerged back in my room, it was to find both brothers sitting on opposite ends of my bed with breakfast spread out in between them. They were both watching the TV, and I took my moment of invisibility to observe them closely.

Vergil must have washed up because his hair was wet and slicked back, and he was dressed like he was ready to hit the road any minute. He had a coffee to-go cup in his hand and was resting it on his knee. Dante, in comparison, looked like a neglected big kid with his messy hair and stubble. He was sitting cross legged on my bed, holding a half-eaten bagel in his hand.

I tried to see past the surface and wondered if, say Dante was the one with slicked back hair and Vergil the one with the beard, there would be any way I could tell who was who. It was disorienting, though. The harder and longer I watched them, the more identical they looked. How the hell did Eva ever not get them mixed up?

I finally gave up trying to distinguish differences - it was pointless anyway, unless they moved or spoke - and turned to see what had caught their attention on TV.

_Breaking news_ flashed across the bottom of the screen on a red ribbon.

The clip being shown on the screen was like something out of a horror movie. I'd have thought it was if it wasn't for the news anchor's voice over. I felt my legs go weak. The scene unfolding on the screen was of a massive sinkhole opening up in the middle of Metropolis. I watched, fear-struck, as buildings and cars slowly collapsed into the growing void. People must have already been evacuated, because there was no panic going on, but there were a lot of people scattered about, filming the phenomena with their phones and cameras.

What were the chances of a sinkhole opening up in the same place a demon attack had occurred only hours before?

"That's a big hole," I said.

They both looked at me sharply, and then exchanged a look I didn't like one bit.

"It's a hell-gate," Vergil said.

"It is?" I choked out in surprise. Of course it was. What else could it be? Sinkholes didn't swirl like chocolate pools, did they?

"...seems there are people...yes, there are people climbing out of the hole..." the news anchor was saying.

I looked away from the TV and stared at the green commercial carpet in denial. No, no, no. It wasn't real. It couldn't be real. If it was, then this was all my fault. Why did I have to chase the stupid notion of getting my memory back? I never should have gone back there.

"We need to keep moving," Dante said, and shoved a take-away box into my chest. "You can eat in the car."

The box was hot and I could smell pancakes. I wasn't hungry. I looked at the TV when the news anchor's voice became confused and then swore before going silent. The curious people who had been standing about were now flat on the ground. I'm pretty sure some of them had been ripped apart, but couldn't tell for sure. Deformed, humanoid demons were clawing their way out of the hole; hundreds of them, flowing out onto the streets, like a fleet of ants escaping their mound. They were everywhere, but I saw the majority of them heading in a certain direction.

They knew where I was.

I couldn't move. What if they were already outside? What if they caught me before I could get to the car? What if they were just waiting for me to set my feet out that d-

"Hey," Dante snapped his fingers, obscuring the TV screen by moving in front of me, and he pointed at the door. "Now would be a good time to start listening to me."

I caught my breath and headed for the door. Dante helped me get into the backseat, and a few minutes later we were back on the road, heading toward the city of Prosperity. Everything made me jump; from the loud city noise, to the people swarming past our car when we were stopped at traffic lights, to the rattling sound when Dante pumped gas into the car.


	20. Legacy

**_Just set them up  
To knock them down_**

* * *

All the while I felt like we shouldn't bother with road signs telling us to stop. The longer we hung around, the closer the demons got. You can't judge me for freaking out when Dante returned a good five minutes later from the dairy at the gas station, with his arms loaded with junk food. I sat up against the window, staring at him wide eyed, and then I was leaning in between the front seats, glaring daggers at him.

"Are you the biggest idiot in the universe? We have demons coming after us and you think it's a good time to stop off and buy some energy drinks and chips and junk?" I fired off before he'd even properly sat down.

Dante froze and turned to frown at me. "Settle down, Cora. I'm stocking up for the ride."

"You- you're the- I can't even- ugh!" I threw myself back into my seat and glared hard at him when he looked over at me.

He looked disappointed. He exchanged a look with Vergil, and closed his door. I tried to find relief when he started the engine and we pulled out of the gas station, but I was too worked up, and too tense. We left the city behind half an hour later and then there was naught but vast desert all around us. Dante turned on the radio, and both his movement and the sound made me jump.

"Turn that off!" I hollered, startled.

He flicked it off quickly and held his hand up briefly in apology. I stared at the back of his head, then at the silent radio, and then at the hot yellow sand and mountains all around us.

"Shit," I swore at myself angrily. I glared grumpily out my window until my eyelids grew heavy and my head became foggy.I must have drifted off to sleep at some point, because I woke up with music playing quietly and the leather of my seat burning against my skin.

"...know much about that," Dante was saying. "I figured you'd have a better idea."

"You don't agree with my ideas," Vergil said.

"Well it wouldn't hurt to hear them out," Dante said scathingly. "Either way, brother, we need a plan of action."

"Hmm."

I frowned and cautiously peeked at them. Vergil looked fed up, shaking his head with a sneer on his lips. Dante's scowl in the rearview mirror spoke volumes.

"C'mon, you're the brain of the team," Dante muttered. "Think of something."

"I already told you what would be best-"

"Think of something better."

"Really, Dante, you're insufferable," Vergil growled.

They glared at each other so hard, their faces set in ice, that I felt I had to intervene. I tried to shift across to the shadowy part of the car and found I had to peel myself off the leather first.

"I'm not leaving her side," Dante said firmly.

"You'll be the death of her if you don't," Vergil countered.

"And you know this for sure because...?"

"Because of who we are, Dante. Need I repeat myself endlessly? They will find us far quicker than they would find her. We don't exactly blend in."

"Which is exactly why we're good at keeping a low profile-"

"_You_ can't keep a low profile," Vergil said brusquely, breaking the glare-match to look out the window instead. "You can't possibly believe that you have gone under the radar for this long without my aid_. I_ am the one who is good at keeping a low profile."

There was a few minutes of silence. Dante turned the radio off and gave Vergil an expectant, sidelong gaze. "Huh."

Vergil furrowed a brow at him. "What?"

"Wouldn't that be more reason not to split up?"

"If you make yourself a beacon to the demon realm, then so be it. It will be your own doing. I will lay low, and they will not find Cora."

"You'd just leave me out there by myself?"

"If you don't follow the plan, yes I'd leave you to fend for yourself."

"Nice to know you've got my back."

"It's hardly like we're children anymore."

"Right, so we'll just take everything dad taught us and put it out with the trash-"

"Don't be a fool!"

"You know as well as I do we''ll do better as a team."

"You need to strate-"

"You need to consider my input-"

"There is no time for this nonse-"

"Agreed! I say we forfeit your plan and go with m-"

It had turned into a snap-fest. I watched from the backseat, my head and heart as much in disagreement as the brothers were. Hadn't I been thinking of taking off earlier for the exact reasons Vergil stated? But then Dante was so hard-headed and determined not to leave me on my own that I was willing to backtrack on my logic. It'd be a greater risk, so much more could go wrong - but then Dante would be on my side. Wouldn't that make it worth it?

I took hold of the front seat shoulder and scooted myself forward until I was practically in the front myself. "Do you guys even know where we're going?"

"No," Dante said.

"Toward the coast," Vergil said, shaking his head at Dante.

"Why is the GPS not working?" I asked, noting the device was switched off.

"We don't need it," Dante said, and eyed me sideways. "What do you think, Cora? Do we split up or stick together?"

"Uh," I chewed my lip, looking between him and Vergil warily. "I'll give you an answer, but first you need to answer my question. Why do you always drag me into your fights?"

"Leverage," they said in unison, winning a startled look from Vergil and an amused grin from Dante.

"Seriously?" I mumbled in disbelief, scooting my way back into the cool part of the car.

"Well?" Dante prompted, watching me in the mirror.

I gazed back at him - maybe it was the heat, and the way everything seemed to be red and hot around us, but his eyes looked deeper and bluer than usual. I could stare at them all day.

"That depends, I guess. If we split up, where do we go? How do we keep in touch? Do we keep in touch at all, and what are the repercussions for either route? When one of us gets caught, do the rest of us come running or not?"

"I haven't figured that out yet," Vergil said.

"And if we stick together, then where do we hide, and for how long, and what do we do when they find us?"

"W_hen they find us_?" Dante repeated, his gaze sharp in the mirror reflection.

"It's a given that they will find us, sooner or later," I said carefully.

"Not unless you rat us out," Dante said pointedly.

"Dante..." Vergil started.

"Ho-no, no, no, you want to exploit the elephant in the room, then let's," I said heatedly, perching on the edge of my seat to get a better view of both of them.

"Alright, let's," Dante repeated with equal heat. "You had a thirst for vengeance, I get it. What I don't get is why you decided everyone had to suffer for your mistake."

"My_ mistake?_" I hadn't seen that one coming. "If you're implying that-"

"Well you mistook him for me, didn't you?" Dante cut in.

"You...you're..." I stammered, and then stared at Vergil angrily. "Well? Why don't you tell him what you did to push me over the edge?"

Vergil answered with a glare of disdain. "I'm not partaking in your argument."

I felt my breath catch in my throat. "Wow. That's-"

"Wait, you're saying you went all-out demon, not because he knocked you up, but for some other reason?" Dante asked. "Was it because he was controlling you with his mojo powers?"

Vergil made a noise in his throat and his voice was hard as steel. "Leave it be, Cora."

I glared back at him and sank back into my seat. There was a tense, awkward silence in the car, and I leaned up against the window with my good arm. Desert, desert, mountain, tree, desert. Maybe the heat was getting to us.

"Vergil killed my aunt and uncle."

Vergil turned in his seat to glower at me. "Honestly, Cora."

"You did?" Dante asked, watching our exchange of glares.

Vergil shook his head at me and straightened in his seat. There was another beat of silence.

"How do you know it was Vergil?"

I gaped at him for a second before the sensation of betrayal crashed heavily into my heart. I felt the tears come against my will, and I tried to pinch them away with my fingers.

"It was me," Vergil said quietly.

Dante exploded. " But they were human, Vergil!"

"You think I don't know that?" Vergil said. "They held a threat to our family."

"They were human beings._ Old folk,_ if I remember right. Whatever threat they'd held, we could have dealt with."

"That's exactly what I did, Dante. I dealt with it."

I sat rigidly when Dante brought the car to a stop. We were literally in the middle of nowhere, with nothing stretching out around us for miles, and Dante looked like he was about to launch at Vergil.

"You know Sparda would throttle your ass," Dante snarled.

"Yes," Vergil said, insanely calm.

"Disown you."

"He'd consider it."

"Get out of the car."

"You think picking a fight with me is going to resolve anything?" Vergil asked, and laughed bitterly. "My, my, Dante."

"You've stepped out of line one time too many."

Vergil's smile faded and he leaned closer to his furious reflection. "I did what I had to, just as father had always done what he had to, just as you should do what you have to-"

"I _should_ give you a piece of my mind," Dante said icily.

"-to protect our legacy. Sparda would have done the same."

"Sparda wouldn't lift his hand against a mortal."

"Sparda wouldn't have to lift _his_ hand," Vergil said, smirking. "Why, yes, I can imagine he would be displeased at the method I took, but I accomplished what I'd set out to do. If anything, father would be proud."

"What are you saying?" Dante asked edgily.

"We have devil's blood in us, Dante. Take it for what it is," Vergil said.

"That doesn't justify what you've done."

Vergil shrugged in response. "It was them, or Cora."

"My aunt and uncle wouldn't have hurt a fly," I snapped.

"But they would an unborn child?" Vergil leveled his gaze with mine. "I gave them plenty warning what the consequence would be if they tried anything. The date at the clinic sealed their fate."

I scowled at him. "You're saying you were in contact with them?"

"All the time."

"You're lying."

"Cora, why would I lie to you?" Vergil asked skeptically.

"They were my only family, Vergil. _My_ blood. They were more excited about Karla than I ever was."

"And you never stopped to wonder why?"

"Why would there need to be an underlying reason?"

"You're aware of your family's reputation of revolting against Sparda, are you not?"

"That was my dad's thing, and he never got anywhere with it anyway!"

"I take that as a no," Vergil said grimly.

"Regardless of how far his network went, my uncle and aunt had no idea I went to a clini-" I cut myself off, feeling my eyes widen suddenly. "Wait, how do_ you_ know about that?"

"I was following you."

"Were you stalking me?" I asked, feeling a hollow pit in my stomach at the idea.

"I was keeping an eye on you when Dante wasn't around."

I flattened myself against my seat, guardedly looking from one brother to the other. "How much do you know about my visit to the clinic?"

Vergil shook his head, and said slowly, "How much do_ you_ know, Cora?"

I squirmed uncomfortably. "I had a failed abortion."

The distressed expression on Dante's face before he turned away made my heart ache. Was he judging me all over again? It looked like he wanted to be anywhere else right now. Like he didn't want to hear it. Like he still couldn't get over it.

"I wouldn't call it a complete failure," Vergil said, and I forced myself to face him. He was looking at Dante, too.

"Well no, Karla was born," I said lightly," so obviously whatever they gave me didn't work on demons."

"Hmm," Vergil murmured, still watching Dante intently.

"So if you knew I was going to the clinic for that, why didn't you stop me?" I asked, not liking the tension between them.

"I was detained. By the time I escaped, you were back home."

"Okay, well then why didn't you come for me earlier? What were you waiting for?"

"It was complicated," Vergil said. "Had I tried to take you from them sooner, they'd have killed you. They swore they wouldn't harm you while under their watch, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt."

"That's generous of you," I muttered.

"It was what my mother asked of me," Vergil said, and added weakly," and Sparda didn't want you under our roof unless you had nowhere else to go."

Why was he looking at Dante like that? I stared at them, trying to figure them out. Dante had gone from furious to withdrawn, like a volcano erupting in reverse, and Vergil for once wasn't acting haughty.

"They never hurt me. Even if they told you they would, they were bluffing," I said accusingly. "You should have known as much."

"You were not their target," Vergil said shortly, and hesitantly put his hand on Dante's shoulder. "I'll drive."


	21. Mercy

**_What's worth the price  
is always worth the fight_**

* * *

Dante was out the door with a faint 'sure' so fast that I thought he'd teleported. Vergil got out as well and circled the car before sliding into the drivers seat with a heavy sigh. I watched Dante wander off a bit.

"I think he hates me more for what I tried to do than you do," I said quietly.

"Hate is a strong word," Vergil said and turned to hand me bottled water.

"It's a strong feeling, too," I said and took the bottle from him.

"I dealt with the people responsible. It doesn't change anything, but knowing that scum has been wiped off the face of the earth is as close to peace as any of us will get."

I narrowed my eyes at him and shook my head. "Really? You mean you went to the clinic and killed all the nurses and doctors there, too?"

"I did," Vergil said, taking a sip of his own water.

I stared at him in shock. "Are you psychotic?"

"Hardly," Vergil said, watching Dante with a frown before he finally - _finally_ - looked me in the eye. "Whatever they gave you at the clinic had a compound of salt and iron."

He was watching me, waiting to catch on, but I couldn't. "Sooooo?"

"That's the demon equivalent of a saline abortion, Cora."

"_So_?" The expression in his eyes was making me want to cry. "What's it matter now? It didn't hurt Karla."

"No, it didn't hurt Karla." He wanted to say more, but turned to tap the car's hooter instead. Dante stopped pacing about in the dust and slowly dragged himself back to the car. "I've told you before, everything I've ever done was to keep you safe. That hasn't changed. If you want to live, we have to split up."

I hesitated. "How would that work?"

"We'll meet at a designated place at a designated time, discuss where we stand, and set a time and place for the next meeting. Until they call off the hunt."

"That could take ages."

"Probably."

"If ever."

"They called off the hunt for Sparda and Eva before, they'll do the same again."

I took a long sip of my water when Dante slumped into the passenger seat and slammed his door shut. We were on the move again, and I regretted not having taken the chance to stretch my legs. There was a brief conversation - Vergil filled Dante in on which plan of action we were going to take. Dante said nothing, broodingly keeping his face turned toward the window. The rest of the drive was quiet, which was good because I needed silence to make up my mind about what I was going to do without having their opinions sway me.

The only time the silence was broken was when I asked one vital question that would either make or break my plan.

"Are they following us?"

"I don't know if they've caught onto our scent yet," Vergil said.

"No," Dante said. "I've left some decoys and booby-traps back in Prosperity. By the time they realize I've been messing with them, our scent should be untraceable."

"Good thinking," Vergil said with an approving glance at him.

Dante shrugged it off.

It was just after noon when we spotted a small town looming on the wavy horizon. We pulled in at the first gas station we came across. This time Vergil put the fuel in. I tapped Dante on the shoulder lightly.

"Got some cash on you? I want to go get some more snacks."

"Oh, now you're cool with it?" Dante grumbled, rummaging in the cabby and pulling wads of paper money out. "I'll go. Do you want anything specific?"

"I don't mind going. I need to stretch my legs and use the ladies room," I said, holding my hand out.

"Okay, fine," Dante said, shoving the fistful of cash into my hand.

"Thanks," I said and headed for the store. It was refreshingly cool inside, and I turned my face away from the camera mounted against the ceiling. I went over to the counter and spread the dollar bills out on it. "We're in that grey car over there," I said to the cashier.

He rung up the bill and I counted what I had left. Forty bucks. Wouldn't get me far but it was better than nothing. I slipped one of the local tourist maps into my sling just as Vergil came in through the automated doors.

"I've already paid," I said as I brushed past him toward the toilet sign.

Once I was in the ladies room, I unfolded the map over the sink and tried to locate where I was, and what my options were. The town was too small. Even if I tried to hide, they'd find me. The next town was eleven kilometers away. That was a two hour walk through the desert. I could go through the mountains, take the route that they couldn't follow in the car. When they realize I've taken off, they'd turn this town upside down, and then the next. And then, hopefully, the next. They'd be long gone before I even get to it.

I had no idea how long it would take me to get to the next town if I went through the mountains. I need to act now, before they become suspicious that I'm taking too long. I peeked my head out the toilet door and glanced down the short corridor. There was the sign for the men's toilet, and the door leading back into the store - and dead ahead was a fire exit.

I went for it. How I was going to hike or climb through a mountain range, I had no idea. I could hardly use my broken arm. They wouldn't suspect me to go this route. It was the perfect escape plan, except of course that _my arm was broken_. I stepped out into the hot, arid air, and carefully followed the map toward the wilderness, making sure I avoided the main roads. I cut through parking lots, went down alleys, walked through a mall, and tried to run across a stretch of desert toward the mountains. The town was small, so I'm pretty sure they didn't start worrying until I had mastered the first hill and found myself lost between canyons and sand.

I should have brought water with me. The sun beat down hard on me - five minutes felt like hours in that scorching heat. I stopped a few times to attempt to track myself on the map, and after an excruciating painful hike up a very steep hill, I discovered a path along the mountain that was used by sheep. Or goats. Who the hell knew. It was a trodden out path that I could follow with ease. The shrubs around me became bountiful as I walked, and trees started sprouting from the ground, first scattered, then clustered closer together. I turned a corner and stopped to stare at a lush green forest spread out before me.

The track was still bumpy and uneven, but it became more defined as I made my way across flattened undergrowth. The enormous ferns and tall trees offered soothing shelter from the sun and I eventually took a break on a fallen tree trunk. I thought I could hear water. I almost thought I could smell it, too. And voices.

But I was still too far away from the next town to be hearing people. I heard a shout, and bolted from my spot. I was running blind, going off the track and weaving through bushes and smaller trees. The voices didn't sound familiar, but I didn't want to risk it being them.

I broke free of the thick shrubbery and came to a confused, stumbling halt in a meadow spotted with picnic benches and people playing with a frisbee. I slowed my pace, looking around dazedly. I'd taken well over two hours, because the sun was sitting dangerously low in the sky. There were so many people around - in the middle of the mountain range? I took out the map and struggled to get it open.

There was nothing. It ought to have been nothing until I reached town. I scanned the surrounding map from the trail I thought I was on, and groaned inwardly. I'd somehow along the way stopped going east and going north instead. I was way off from where I originally thought I was. The lodge was further up the ranges. I debated continuing on my way, but thought I'd rather spend the night there. It'd be safer. If I'd missed it on the map before, hopefully the brothers would as well.

I headed into the reception lobby, knowing I looked terrible - I hadn't had a change of clothes since the day before, and I was pretty sure I still smelled like pepperoni. There was a blonde woman behind the counter wearing a leopard-print low V neck and gold hoop earrings the size of bracelets. I sauntered up to the counter nervously.

"Hey," I said.

"Hi there, how can I be of service?" The woman asked with a huge, fake smile and a too-friendly tone.

I blinked, and did a double take. Oh my... "Um...I was... hoping to get a room for the night," I stammered, staring. I was tired. Dehydrated. Crazy. I was seeing things.

"Suuuure, what room were you after?"

I tried not to make it obvious that I was staring. "Uh, whatever room you've got available."

I peeked over the counter as she typed away on her computer, trying to look for a name tag, and found none. Don't be stupid, Cora. Just get a room and chill out.

"We have a few studios available, some self-sustaining cottages, too."

"Any of those cost forty bucks?"

The woman's smile grew wider. My fucking word, I _knew_ that smile anywhere. "I'm sorry, ma'am, our cheapest room goes for eighty a night. I'm sure you can find accommodation to suit your budget in town."

"Could you make an exception?" I asked.

"No, I couldn't. I can get you a list of other lodges, though. Hang on a minute." She rummaged about her desk for a few minutes, and flashed that fake smile at me again. "One moment, ma'am."

She went to a door behind her desk, her high heels clicking across the floorboards, and knocked lightly on it before peeking her head inside. I scanned her desk, looking for anything that had a name on it.

"...can't seem to find it," the woman was saying.

"It should be here somewhere." A tall, lean man with a goatee and cropped dark hair came through the door. He glanced at me briefly before moving things about the desk in search. I'd recognize those blue pots of heaven anywhere.

I was still trying to wrap my head around this. That was, undoubtedly, Roman. And the woman - nobody could fake a smile like that but Lorry.

"Found it," Roman said, pulling a thick book from underneath a folder.

"Thanks, honey," Lorry said with a sigh, and started to sit down again.

"Whoa. Congratulations," I said, noticing their matching rings then.

Lorry clearly thought I was referring to Roman, who had stopped to look at me in confusion.

"Thanks," she smiled. "Now, I can write down a few places for you and call a cab for you..."

"A cab? There's a road up here?" I asked, casting a nervous look over my shoulder.

"Of course, isn't that the way you came?" Lorry asked, surprised.

I stared back at her, chewing my lip. Maybe it was a bad idea to stay overnight. What if the brothers came looking for me here? If there was a road coming up here, there were bound to be signs.

"Yeah...you know what, give me that list. A cab would be great. Like, asap."

"Of course," Lorry said again, scribbling down some addresses while she picked up the phone and cradled it between her shoulder and ear.

Roman took the phone from her suddenly and replaced it. He stared at me hard for a minute, dissecting my face just as I had Lorry's moments before.

"Cora?"

If I pretended not to recognize them, would it get me out of there faster?

"Where the hell did you- Lorry, forget it, love - where did you come from? Do you know Dante was here looking for you not long ago?"

"He was here?" I exhaled in surprise. They were more thorough and faster than I'd predicted.

"You look like you've been through a war."

"I kinda have," I said uneasily. "What did he say?"

"Nothing. He just asked if I've seen you and to call him if-"

"Don't," I interrupted, shaking my finger at him. "Don't call him."

"Why not?" Roman asked, eyeing my sling. "Did he do that to you?"

"If I said yes, would you still call him?"

"Cora," Roman shook his head at me. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. I just need a place to crash tonight. I'll be out of your hair by morning."

We stared at each other for a long moment before he turned and took a set of keys off the backboard. "Fine. Our restaurant is through that set of doors over there," he pointed to a pair of French doors just past the lobby. "And this is studio 8. "

I took the keys he held out to me. "Thanks, Roman."

"Don't thank me yet."

"Honey, that's our spare-" Lorry started.

"That's alright, love. To get to the studios, when you go out the lobby just follow the footpath right. You'll pass the pool and spa on your way. At the roundabout, go left. Your studio's got one of the best views," Roman said.

"Okay. I'll be gone early tomorrow, I promise."

"And don't lose my spare keys."

"I won't. Thank you guys,"

I hurried from the lobby before they could change their minds, and followed his directions as best I could. It wasn't that hard to find, thankfully. I was contemplating ringing the lobby from the studio and asking Lorry if she had spare clothes when I unlocked the door. I stepped inside and carefully hung the spare keys up on the metal key rack - and then it hit me. Spare keys.

Why would he give me-

I caught sight of the royal blue coat hanging over the back of a chair at a small round dining table a second too late. I spun back to the door and wrenched it open. It slammed shut again with just as much force as I'd used to open it, and I cringed when I saw his hand pressed against the wood just to the side of my head. Crap. There goes my plan.

I pursed my lips and slowly turned around. I stared down at his brown boots, waiting to be berated and scorned for running off. I glanced up when I heard keys jingling, and frowned when he locked the door before tossing the keys carelessly onto the table. He lifted my chin firmly with his fingers.

His eyes were smoldering blue embers. "Are you going to give me trouble?"

I shook my head mutely.

"Good," he smiled at me before moving away.

I watched him stalk over to a couch and plunk himself down onto it with a deep breath. I glanced around nervously and walked over to him. "Where's Dante?"

"You know all the effort you put into trying to get away from me doesn't pay off. It never does."

"I wasn't trying to get away from just you," I said harshly. "Where's Dante?"

"I'm not sure," Vergil said coolly.

I briefly glanced at the large, glass paneled wall overlooking forest and coast alike. "What do you mean you're not sure?"

"We'll be meeting up again in a fortnight in Prosperity," Vergil looked up at me. His voice was smooth ice, and I got the vague impression that his temper was near breaking point. His entire posture was rigid as though he was very uncomfortable with my presence. But his eyes - they spoke a completely different story. "Whoever found you would disclose the information to you so you can be there as well."

I walked to the single couch and perched awkwardly on the edge. "So you didn't actually go looking for me?"

"No, I left that to Dante."

"Yet here_ we_ are."

"With the difference that I didn't go out of my way to find you," Vergil said, watching me intently. He sighed into the silence that followed. "I won't bother asking why you did what you did. I'm fairly sure I can guess. You do know that you could have hurt yourself, don't you?"

I stared back at him, stumped. "So?"

"You could have fallen. You could have broken your neck. You could have gotten stuck in a fissure. You could have been bit by a rattlesnake..."

"There weren't any snakes," I interrupted, confused. Where was he coming from with all of this?

"Weren't there?" he said it as a statement and rolled up the sleeve of his dark dress shirt. I hesitated when he held his arm out to me, and I cautiously leaned forward to see dried blood around his wrist. There was no wound, but then it'd probably healed a while ago.

"What happened?" I asked, wanting to touch his skin just to make sure there really were no wounds.

"I protected you."

I gritted my teeth and looked at him in dismay. "You followed me again? How did you even know I was leaving?"

"It was written all over your face, Cora," he said flatly.

"How am I supposed to accomplish anything with you always one step ahead of me?" I snapped. "Maybe you should just back off, Vergil."

"Had I done that, you never would have made it here," Vergil said icily.

"So? I'd take death by snake bite over Mundus finding me, any day."

"Cora..."

I leaned back when he moved forward, and held up my hand. "You're smothering me."

His fingers circled my wrist and held my arm captive, and we glared at one another. My heart did a back flip when he suddenly let go and pressed his palm against mine instead, and his long, slender fingers slotted between my own. I wasn't sure whether to try hit him with my arm's casket or run. The dejected look in his eye put me on edge.

"Perhaps if you would stop defying me and work with me instead, there would be no need for me to shadow you all the time."

"Work _with_ you? I don't think I can," I said. He lifted an incredulous eyebrow, and the threads holding me together slowly came undone, one by one.

"I beg to differ," he said, gazing at me thoughtfully. "We would work very well together, you and I."

I tried to pull my hand free and stopped when he tightened his hold. "I don't trust you."

"Then the feeling is mutual," Vergil smirked.

"You took advantage of me. That's unforgivable," I said, feeling sick just saying it out loud.

"And you killed a part of my soul," he said, tilting his head patiently. "That's unforgivable."

"You mean your stupid doppelganger?" I fired back. "I didn't kill it."

"I'm not talking about my doppelganger," Vergil said with a shake of his head.

"Then what the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about our son." He was terrifying right that moment; in the way he was holding my hand, how close he was sitting to me, the way he seemed to be fighting between ripping me apart or pitying me. I knew that gleam in his eye. I'd seen Dante get it, when the battle got tough and he was getting hit faster than he could shoot. A deep inner fury ready to unleash itself in violent vigor. It took me a long moment for the words to sink in.

"You wanted to hit me where it would hurt most, and you succeeded," he said softly, and slowly traced his fingertips over the back of my hand. "You were... not quite yourself. You were confused, and afraid. The demon in you was angry and naturally thirsted for blood..."

I tried to pull my hand away weakly, and stared at him in denial. I didn't want him to touch me. I didn't want to face him right that moment. "Why don't I remember this?" I gasped out shakily.

He cupped his hand over mine and looked at me grimly.

"Did you... but no...I should remember this. I got my memories back. Why don't I remember?"

"I don't know," he said finally. He brought my hand to his lips, and I wanted to cut it off right then. Killer hands. I had killer hands. I killed a helpless innocent - but wasn't that what I'd wanted? That part of my mind wasn't under lock and key - I wanted to send the aborted baby to him. I can even remember the gleeful euphoria I'd had at the idea. Now all it did was break my heart.

"I have forgiven you the unforgivable," Vergil said, bringing me out of my thoughts. "You can do the same and make things far less complicated for both of us."

* * *

_***bounce bounce bounce* I luffles Dante! :D**_


	22. To love is to serve

**_ Only you can be the aching in my heart  
my enemy,  
the only animal I couldn't fight  
*Ellie Goulding*_**

* * *

"I need to get some fresh air." I don't know if I was lying or telling the truth, but I needed to get away from him.

Vergil sighed and his breath washed over my skin. Then, surprisingly, he let go of my hand. "Sure."

I pushed myself off the couch and snatched the keys off the table with shaky fingers. It took me a moment to unlock the door. The air carried a desert-like chill and I walked as fast as I could back to the lobby. There was no one at reception so I headed for the restaurant in the back. The warmth inside the amber-lit dining area was a welcoming embrace. The place was busy and I almost turned around to leave before I sighted a small, empty table half obscured by a column. I weaved through the maze of tables and chairs, and sat down at the little table.

A waiter appeared beside me and I ordered a small bottle of brandy. I didn't bother asking the price. A few minutes later I was taking slow sips of my drink, surveying the luxurious interior of the restaurant. Mahogany tables, crisp white table cloths, maroon leather-back chairs, brown and ocher fern-patterned carpet, buttery walls illuminated with mirrors and warm firelight. Not the kind of place I'd ever have gone to dine at. You needed money to afford luxury like this.

Then again, it's not as if I'd ever been poor. Sure, we struggled with finances for a while and life got tough but then-

-but then Vergil had reappeared. And we'd been well off again. He'd always had a talent for working with money; had known how to increase his wealth, and never ran out. Imagine how easy life would have been if I'd stayed by his side. I'd never have to worry about what I was going to wear, or eat, or where I would sleep. He'd have made a solid base for a family. What was I thinking? He _was_ a solid foundation; he had maids and butlers in his mini-mansion, and the cheapest shirt Karla owned probably cost something like three hundred dollars. And he was good at protecting the people he loved, he'd shown that time and time again.

Except when he lost track of Karla, man he'd been a mess. Funny, how hard he'd been looking for her, the extremities he'd been willing to go through to find her, when all the while I'd known what she was up to, and I didn't even know her all that well. It was something stupid I'd have done as a teenager, too. She'd been very sly to slip through his fingers like that and stay well hidden for as long as she had. Just as I'd been sly enough to go to the clinic, and do exactly what they hadn't wanted me to. Like mother like daughter?

And why couldn't I remember there ever being a second baby?  
I ordered another bottle of brandy and prodded my memory more. I remember the hospital. I remember the birth. The physical pain had had nothing on the internal rage I'd held. I remember screaming more in fury than in pain, and the numbness that came afterward when I heard Karla's cries fill the room. It had been like Vergil's victory cheer at my defeat. I didn't see Karla until she was three days old. I don't remember another baby. Not unless it had been born right after Karla, in which case, I wouldn't have been able to tell whether it was just the afterbirth or not, and no one had said anything about it.

Maybe he was lying. Maybe this was his way of manipulating me and putting me on a guilt trip? It'd be a bit below him to stoop that low...wouldn't it? Then again, I had been a monster back then. What if the reason I can't remember the other baby was because my demon was too focused on getting rid of Karla? Would it have gone over my head that there was a second one?

I tried to stop the answer from bubbling into my head and failed. Yes. It would have. I'd have dismissed it. There would have been no victory in it because the other still lived. I'd been a monster. That had to be why Dante was so overly-attached to Karla and got so mad when I bad-mouthed her. That had to be why he reacted the way he did when I mentioned the clinic. My heart squeezed hard at the memory of his brooding silence in the car.

He looked so much more like Sparda when he was brooding. Sparda had always been brooding in his study; always lost deep in thought, just as Vergil had often been lost in his books. And then he'd crack a grin and say something sarcastic to either fluster or intimidate me. He'd never been happy having me around their place, not before or after the demon attack that changed my life. What would his reaction be if he was to come to know what I'd done, not only to his family but to the legacy he'd meant to leave behind?

The vision of his obsidian and blood-shot eyes rippled through my mind. The way he'd looked at me the last time I'd seen him. There had been a black fire burning in them even as he had admitted defeat to his circumstances ages ago. Sparda was right. I had been a liability. He'd always known it, even when the rest of us contested it. I couldn't undo what I'd done; I couldn't bring Vergil's son back to life.

I could undo what I'd done to Sparda. I couldn't bring back his heir, but I could bring Sparda back.

But I'd need muscle to back me up. Not just humans. Hell was no place for human beings. I needed Vergil at the forefront. But how I was going to accomplish that, I wasn't sure. There had to be a way. I couldn't stand being around him, and the feelings he stirred in me made things all that much harder. It was insanity that I was falling for someone I was absolutely petrified of. We had too much history.

What did Eva do to tame Sparda? There had to be some trick to it. You didn't just tame a wildfire demon lord with a smile, a wink, and a screw. They were smarter than that. I ran my finger along the mouth of the bottle and rested my cheek heavily against my fist. What would Vergil do, if he'd been in my position?

The answer hit me so hard that I actually felt winded.

"Cora."

I turned toward the voice and wondered how long things had gone blurry around me. I could barely make out the features of the person bowing down and shaking my shoulder. "Hmm?"

"You need to go back to your room. We're closing up for the night."

"Roman?" I tried to blink at him, and realised it wasn't just the alcohol that was making things shift out of place. I wiped at my wet cheeks clumsily and sat back in my chair. "Sorry," I slurred, "isssss it okay if I sleep right here?"

"Okay, come on, up you get." He put my arm around his neck and hauled me to my feet. I awkwardly tried to walk and not trip over my feet, and I tried not to lean too much against him and at the same time tried not to collapse, as we headed into the icy night. Not even the cold could shock me sober.

We stopped at a door, and I couldn't remember where I was or how I'd got there so fast.

"Where are your keys?" Roman asked.

I shook my head and tried to put myself back together by stepping away from him and standing on my own. "Inside."

Roman rapped at the door, all the while giving me a look that said 'why don't you ever listen?' He let out a tired breath, and straightened up when we heard footsteps in the room.

"G'night," Roman said, giving me a brief, dismissive wave before disappearing into the night.

I stared after him and felt myself sway a little. The door opened behind me. For a few moments there was nothing but silence, and I finally turned myself around. Vergil was watching me, his face cast in shadows and moonlight. "Are you alright?"

I blinked hard to try get my eyes to focus, and shook my head in answer.

"Come inside."

I obeyed, somewhat unbalanced. I felt like I was teetering to the side as I stepped back into the studio. He'd turned the heatpump on because the room was comfortably heated. The lights were all off and I ran my hand along the wall, feeling for the switch, and pressed it on. Light flooded the studio, and I glanced over my shoulder when I heard the door close and lock.

A heatwave shot from the roots of my hair down to my neck at the sight of him shirtless. His silver hair was in a disarray and his face had a rumpled look to it.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, ignoring the fact that I was slurring out my words. He needed to put some clothes on, damn it. What was he playing at?

Vergil furrowed his brows and took a dangerous step toward me. "Are you drunk?" he asked indignantly.

"So what if I am? Why are you half naked?" I said accusingly.

Vergil let out an angry breath. "You're as bad as Dante."

"Answer the question!"

"Cora, it's past two o'clock in the morning! If you hadn't gone out to get drunk-" Vergil cut himself off suddenly and stepped right up to me. I flinched away when he touched my cheek. "Are you crying?"

"No. I'm drunk," I said weakly. I stumbled away from him and unsteadily went to the bedroom.

Not the bedroom; that was the closet. I closed the door and went into the bathroom, wondering if there was a room attached to it, and found none. I walked back out into the studio and glanced around slowly. The only other door in the entire flat was the front door. There was only one bed, and no privacy.

"You have the bed," Vergil said, noting what I was staring at. "I've already taken the sofa."

I watched him through hazy gaze walk over to the sofa, which was already setup with pillows and covers. It wasn't until he'd made himself comfortable that it finally hit me that I'd woken him up.

I swayed and staggered my way over to the bed and sank down onto it thankfully. Unfortunately, the world didn't stop spinning, not even when I curled up on my side. Vergil got up with a tired grunt and went to turn off the light.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

I could see his silhouette cross the room back to the sofa. I waited until he was lying back down before I spoke.

"Hey. Were you there when I had Karla?"

"Cora, now is not the time to talk."

"Just tell me."

"Yes, I was."

"Really? I don't remember you being there at all."

"You're drunk, and I'm tired. Go to sleep."

"Was Dante there, too?"

I rolled onto my back when he didn't answer. "Is that why he hates me? Because he was there and he saw what I've done?"

"He doesn't hate you. He hates what you've done."

I tensed, and turned my head sharply. I opened my mouth, closed it, and finally spat it out. "Are you_ lying_?"

Vergil yawned. "Hmm. What do you want me to say, Cora? I warned him a thousand times about what you were becoming. He was in denial right until the very end. I believe he still is."

I waited, and scowled when he didn't go on. "And?"

"And? How many times did I warn _you_ that Dante would come after you if he knew what you were turning into?"

"You're not seriously suggesting he tried to come after me?"

"No, but let's just say that if I hadn't given you the cure, he would have."

That eliminated Dante as a potential ally. My head felt heavy and my stomach burned, but I slowly pushed myself up. I stared at Vergil's dark form under the covers a few feet away from me. I could tell he was about to drift off again. I was going out on a limb here. He was far more experienced with the whole controlling and manipulating thing than I was, but then how hard could it really be?

It was the only way I could foresee myself hanging around him. Control had always been an issue between us. Him pulling my strings, and me resisting his pull. I'd been dealing with him the wrong way. Instead of resisting his authority, I had to magnify my own.

"Vergil?" I said quietly.

"Hmm?"

"I can't get comfortable," I tested the words.

"Do you need more pillows?"

I bit my lip, and shook myself. "No."

He shifted under the covers, and then he was sitting up in the dark staring back at me. "What do you need?"

Time to put my theory through the ring of fire. "Could you hold me?"

I'd caught him off guard because for a long, tense moment, he said nothing. Then, to my surprise, he got up and came over to my bed. I waited for him to settle back into the pillows propped up against the wall before I leaned back into his chest and found a comfy spot against his shoulder. I draped his arm around my own shoulders, and paused when his other hand came to rest on my arm. I shrugged it off, and frowned when he rested it on my tummy. I picked his hand up and flicked it aside.

Vergil held his hand mid-air and let out a frustrated sigh. "Do you want me to hold you or not?"

I ignored him and ran my fingers along the length of his arm until I had the back of my hand pressed against the palm of his. I entwined my fingers with his that way and brought my hand - our hands - down onto my hip. He didn't resist or move away. Maybe I really could do this.

I still found it difficult to fall asleep. Part of me was recoiling at what I was doing; getting so close to him, feeling the shape of his form pressed against me brought back the intimate thrills we had once embraced when we were younger. I berated myself a few times that it was different this time. There were no delusions about who he was, and_ I_ was calling the shots this time around. I relaxed easier when his breathing evened out and I knew he was asleep, and then I just stared moodily across at the large windows, wishing that I could steal some sleep for myself.

* * *

_**Chapters will be longer henceforth so expect appropriate delays in updates. xxx**_


	23. Round Two

_**I need to feel you  
You need to feel me  
I can't control you  
You're not the one for me, no  
*P.o.M***_

* * *

~...~

The nightmares that tormented me at night haunted me throughout the days as well. Two weeks had dragged by; two weeks in which I've had little to no peace. Sparda's screams terrified me in the dark. Vergil and I had found our balance at last, where he was as willing to comply to my wishes as I was to comply to his. Control was no longer a barrier between us. I daresay we'd become friends. It was a terrifying reality because I was afraid of what that could mean.

Friendship was the foundation of many things.

And it didn't help that he was the replica of the guy I'd fallen head over heels in love with. Part of me wanted to run from him, but I couldn't give in to my selfish, childish impulses anymore. I had to stick it out to the end; for Vergil, because I had the need to make amends for what I'd done to him, and for Eva, because she'd been my mother for so long, and for Sparda, because I owed a debt to him for all he'd done for mankind. But mostly for Dante. I ruined _everything_ for him.

I had to make it up to him somehow. This was only the first step toward doing that. I tapped my fingers on my arm's porcelain-white cast as I gazed out the window of my carriage. It had been a mutual decision between Vergil and myself that we arrive in Prosperity by different means of transportation. Vergil insisted that it would be safer that way, but I knew what he wasn't saying.

It'd be safer for him - and maybe even for me - if Dante didn't know we'd been sharing each other's company for the past fourteen days. I had no idea what he would do. Vergil had said that Dante wouldn't care, that he only suggested we take different routes to throw off any demons that may be watching in Prosperity. It'd be easier for him to stay low on his own than try and hide me as well, he said.

Which was a fair enough point. It didn't change the unsettling knot in my stomach that he was wrong. If Dante really didn't care, why had he looked so miserable at the prospect of splitting up? He'd been against the idea. I wonder if he'd still be against the idea? Maybe I ought to just throw Vergil under the bus and tell Dante that we'd been sharing our hideout, and see what happens. Vergil hadn't said in so many words that we ought to keep that detail from Dante, though his intentions were clear.

He didn't want Dante to know.

This had been nagging me, on top of everything else, for the past few days after he first made mention of it. We hadn't done anything questionable. Sure I used Vergil as my extra pillow on occasion, but that didn't mean anything. It was guilt that was playing the major factor in my heart. The least I could do is respect Vergil's wishes and keep it quiet.

The train pulled into the station with a shrieking cacophony of metal. I got off at my stop and checked the time on the large town square clock. I had ten minutes to kill before the meeting. I followed the train tracks down some way and spotted the narrow, overgrown footpath that led into the wilderness. I followed it across a small stream, through a gully of trees and then it wound up higher and higher to a familiar spot. It was the same little lookout nook where Dante and I had spent our last few moments together, before he'd left all those years ago. Before everything really did go to hell.

I rounded the bench and sank down onto it, savoring the warm sunshine and the beautiful city of Prosperity laid bare before me. I could hear traffic in the far distance, and birds in the bushes around me. It was a bittersweet place to come back to.

"Thought I'd find-"

"Oh fffffsssshhh-um," I jumped and spun around in fright to stare wide-eyed at the red-clad figure just coming around the bend behind me. "You scared the shit out of me."

"Good to see you, too," Dante furrowed a brow at me before slumping down beside me. He put his arm around the back of the bench and tucked one leg beneath him so that he was facing me rather than the view. "Good memories, huh?"

I shrugged in reply, still struggling to get my heart to calm down. "I guess."

There was a long moment where we simply looked at each other. "You're alright?" he asked, gesturing at me with his fingers.

"Sure."

"You haven't been attacked or anything?"

"No, I've been fine. Really. How about you?"

"Well for the sake of not having to repeat myself over again, I'll just say that I've been fine, too."

"Good," I nodded and gazed out at the view. "This place hasn't changed much, has it?"

"Nope."

"Have you got the time on you?"

"Nope."

"You're as helpful as always."

Dante chuckled, and caught my wrist in his hand when I moved to get up. "Cora, c'mon."

"We're going to be late. We don't want Vergil to worry, do we?"

His grip turned firm and he gave a small, intimate smile. "You're a terrible liar, babe."

I froze, dumbfounded. "Dante what are you talking about? I'm not lying about anything."

"You've got something on your mind. Spill the beans."

"I've got_ a lot_ on my mind," I protested and scowled when he tried to pull me closer. "What're you-"

"You've got Vergil stamped all over your face. Has he been making a nuisance of himself?"

"No, he- are you_ sniffing_ me?"

Dante pulled away, still with that disconcerting smile on his lips. "Hmm. I missed the way you smell."

My face set ablaze - his eyes were soft and his touch against my cheek was cool and gentle. I cringed back when he started in for a kiss. I thought he might hear my heart racing in my throat when I opened my mouth. "What about your deal?"

"Deals' off," he murmured and pulled me into his embrace.

I didn't resist when his lips claimed my own in a series of slow, playful, tender kisses. My heart raced so fast that I thought it had completely stopped. My memories of how soft and warm his lips were had lied. He tasted different, too, sweeter somehow. How could I've forgotten how good a kisser he was? My head was spinning and I found I'd melted against him when he ended the moment by pulling away.

"We're gonna be late," he said, rising to his feet and taking me with him.

I leaned against him unsteadily and felt heat blossom in my chest when he held my hand and led the way down the small hill. Before we broke free of the reserve, he gave my hand a little squeeze before he let go. His voice was hard. "We both know how this plays out. So get with the game this time, alright?"

I was still trying to get my face to cool down and stumbled at his words. What did he mean? I slowed down my pace, watching his retreating back as some disturbing sensation of familiarity settled around my shoulders. I stopped in my tracks suddenly when I let it sink in. Get with the game_ this time_? It was obvious he'd known that Vergil had been with me - memory had temporarily omitted the detail that he could probably smell Vergil all over me. Deal's off.

Nothing but something close to a catastrophe could make Dante go back on his word, especially if it concerned family.

What was he implying? That Vergil was controlling me again?

...was he?

Shit. Was he? Was the whole mutual thing just a setup? But I had no demonic abilities, nothing of use to him. Then again...Vergil was pretty much on top of everything in the demon realm. He'd known about my reputation long ago in the demon realm; the human girl who controlled demons. It's what had made him come back to us in the first place. Then he'd wanted to use me as a decoy to get Sparda's sword.

The only reputation I had right in the demon realm was-

He wouldn't. Would he? Was he simply sticking it out with me so he could get to Sparda? Did he find out somehow that Sparda was alive? But...I wanted to help Sparda, too. Didn't that mean we were on the same page? Didn't that make us allies?

Dante didn't seem to think so. But then, did Dante know about Sparda? Would his opinion change if he did?

My head was a mess when I pulled myself back to the present. Dante had joined Vergil's side on the far off side of the old ice rink, which no longer seemed to be an ice rink. It was nothing but a concrete pool in the middle of the park with graffiti decorating it with obscenities. I strolled over to them and stomped down the built-in bleachers, and ungracefully slumped down beside Vergil with a loud huff.

"You're late," Vergil pointed out.

"I know," I snapped back.

Vergil sat back to give me an assessing look. "Dante and I were just discussing what we know concerning the hunter demons that have been sent out to track us."

I tensed at his words. "Wait, what?"

"You haven't been in trouble, have you?" Vergil asked idly.

"Of course not," I said tightly. "What's this about hunter demons, though?"

"If you haven't seen any around, that's good. I had one tracking me a few days ago," Dante said, and wrung his hands together when I gaped at him. "Don't sweat it, Cora, I took care of it."

"I've been aware of them. They've come dangerously close a few times but overlooked my location," Vergil said, which in turn had me gaping at him,too.

"Wh...well...shouldn't you like..._. change location_?" I stammered out.

"If I make a move, they'll notice. Hunters don't attack unless their prey run," Vergil stated.

"Shit," I breathed, climbing to my feet, suddenly overly paranoid that there were hunter demons surrounding us right that moment.

"Sit down," Dante chided.

"Please do," Vergil agreed.

I rubbed my face in agitation and pressed my hand against my forehead, trying to keep it together. "Y-y-you guys know that Mundus is the only guy who can order hunter demons around, don't you?"

"We're well aware," Vergil said, seemingly baffled at my reaction.

"This isn't safe. This...no, _this was a really stupid idea, Vergil._ We're out in the bloody open with hunter demons after our blood!" I gasped out.

"You need to calm down," Vergil frowned at me worriedly.

"You need to get the hell out of here._ I_ need to get out of here."

"We will. Later," Vergil said, rising to his feet.

I staggered away from his reach, staring at him like he'd lost his mind. "No..."

"You're going to work yourself into another panic attack," Vergil scolded. "We need to plan what our next move is-"

He got hold of my arm and I lost it. "Are you insane?" I shrieked, startling him so much that he actually retreated a step. "_Mundus_ sent these demons after us. Don't you think that's a bit worrisome?"

"If we stick to the plan-" Vergil started reassuringly.

"No, you don't get it! What makes you so confident that Mundus isn't right beside them hunting us down?" I yelled furiously.

Vergil stared at me with an odd expression. "What are you saying?"

"Well the last time I checked, he wasn't on his perch in the demon realm! What the hell do you think I'm saying?"

"He's not in the demon realm?" Vergil asked in disbelief. "How do you know this?"

"What a fucking oversight," Dante muttered, on his feet and glancing around with the same alertness I had.

"He's been absent from the demon realm since Karla decided to pull her little stunt. Don't tell me you didn't know," I said, finding it hard to catch my breath.

"Where are you staying?" Dante asked, stepping closer to us.

"The lodge. The...the one that Roman runs," I said, blinking away the darkness that threatened to overwhelm my vision.

"I'll call you," Dante said, and spun me back toward the reserve. "Get out of here."

I didn't need any more prompting than that. I was back at the station within minutes, leaping onto the train seconds before the doors slid shut behind me. Talk about good timing. I paid for my ride to the ticket master as he did his rounds, and had a restless and dragging trip back to the lodge. I didn't even want to go back there. Why had I told Dante I was staying there? I couldn't go back there, not if what Vergil said was true.

Still, I hailed a cab back from the train station. I'd go to a different place, a far off place; I'd go on the internet and see what's on offer, and leave my details with Roman so that when Dante called, he could just refer him in the right direction. I paid the cabby and skipped into the lobby.

"Hey," I said to Lorry, and didn't wait for a greeting in response. "Do you know of any good touristy places to stay?"

"Around here, you mean?" Lorry asked in bored tones, not even bothering looking up from her computer.

"Anywhere."

Lorry quirked a perfectly shaped eyebrow and let out a long suffering sigh. "I'll have a think about it. The only places that pop up offhand are a series of islands that have earned a rep as tourist attractions."

"Name it."

"Fortuna."

"Pass."

"Coconut island."

"Never heard of it."

"Isle of Mudd."

"Definitely never heard of it."

"Sun City."

_Bingo._ "Good enough for me. Don't tell Vergil where I'm going."

"Uh, please," Lorry scoffed at me. "He's never even said hi to me."

"Well.._.if_ he asks if you know where I am, anyway."

"Don't worry, Cora, I won't say a word. Does that mean you're checking out?"

"Yes," I said after thinking it over. "I'll call you and let you know where I'm staying once I'm there."

Lorry's fingers paused on her keyboard and she finally looked at me. "Why would you do that?" she asked suspiciously.

"Because Dante is going to come here looking for me."

"Dante? I thought you were with his brother now?"

"I've never_ been_ with his brother... in that way," I said, ignoring the squirming discomfort I felt at the assumption.

It must have shown on my face because Lorry's expression softened slightly. "Okay. Keep it secret from the brother, but tell Dante. Gotcha."

"Thanks," I mumbled uneasily, turning back toward the lobby doors.

"Cora? Come here for a second," Lorry said tentatively.

I turned back, and frowned in confusion when she held out a glossy, brightly coloured card to me. "What's this?" But I already knew when I took it and dissected it with my eyes.

"It's a free ferry ride voucher to Sun City. It's all I can do to help you out, though. Once you're there, you'll have to wing it on your own," Lorry explained.

"You've done enough. Thank you, Lorry," I said sincerely, and waved the card at her. "Really, thanks."

"No problem. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"You, too," I said, already backtracking toward the door.

I had just slipped the card into my pocket when I spotted Vergil coming around the corner of the building. I abruptly changed my course to the cab toward him instead. "Hey."

Vergil caught me by my good arm and practically pulled me against him. "Why didn't you mention that Mundus was in the human realm before?" Vergil growled down into my ear.

"Probably the same reason why you didn't mention the proximity of hunter demons," I fired back, glaring up at him. "It must have slipped my mind around you."

"You should have told me before," he said angrily and let go of me.

"Well you're the fucking son of Sparda, I thought you'd know to keep an eye on your enemies," I snapped.

"The demon world has not let it slip that he has left. Not _once_, Cora."

"What about your minions? It's not like it's a secret in the demon realm, Vergil. They'd know."

He seemed at a loss for words at that, and I retreated a couple of steps from him. "I'm leaving. You should do the same."

"Where are you going?" Vergil asked with a soft scowl.

"I don't know yet," I said brusquely. "I'll get in touch with Dante, and I'm sure you two will keep up communication with your twin telepathy."

"Cora-"

"And don't follow me this time. For fucks' sake, Vergil, if_ you_ hadn't been here, the hunter demons wouldn't have come so close to me_. I can't get caught._ You understand, right?" I rushed on.

It clicked - I could see it in his eyes. He knew I was right, and there was no beating around the bush this time.

"You're right," he relented.

"Give me two weeks," I said, backing away when he clenched his jaw. If I knew him well enough, it wouldn't be beyond him to grab me right then and there and refuse to let me out of his sight, come hell or high water. Run while I can. "I'll email you. Right? Just get out of here before they find you, because they_ will_ find you if you don't move."

I was at the cab. I opened the door and slid into the backseat. "To the port, please." I slammed the door shut, and even as we drove down the driveway, I kept waiting for Vergil to stop me. He didn't.

I couldn't be sure if he followed me or not.

If he did, it meant he was fibbing all this crap about my safety. He'd be a siren to demons, he'd lead them right to me, that much was very, very clear. I still wasn't sure whether he was tailing me or not even when I boarded the last ferry out. There were few passengers on board, but it was a big ferry. I didn't know if he was hiding somewhere on board. I didn't even know if he'd need to take the ferry. He could teleport - whether he could teleport such great distances was in question.

An hour later, with the late-noon sun starting to cast shadows, I was on Sun City ground.

There was lush green forest all around the somewhat abandoned harbour. I passed luxurious yachts along the dock, and followed the other passengers up a stone stairwell that cut through the forest. We reached a crossroads at the far top, and I studied the signs for a long moment. Water Park and train station to the left. Hotels and restaurants to the right. Palace and golf course dead ahead. I picked the latter, and set off through a winding path laid out with beautiful wooden boards. The path suddenly gave way to a hanging bridge suspended high above a deep canal. A glorious waterfall crested a mountain face to my left, and to my right I could see people dining in an open-arched platform of the palace.

It looked so elegant, and beautiful, and rich, and peaceful. Surreal. Maybe I died and went to heaven?

The bridge ended in a courtyard with a massive fountain surrounded by statues of lions in the center. I walked around it in awe and wandered up the clay-stone steps leading to the impressive entrance to the palace. At the reception I was met like a royal, despite my obviously frazzled appearance. I was handed a list of room options and tapped the King suite option.

"I'd like this one," I said, and looked at the three, pretty receptionists behind the grandiose counter.

"I'm sorry, we've only got one King suite and it's been booked for the next couple of weeks. Would you like to consider any of our other options?"

"Royal suite it is then," I shrugged.

"Good choice, madame. We do have a policy on the minimum nights you're obligated to stay-"

"Put me down for a month," I cut in.

"Very well, madame," the girl smiled and tapped a few keys on her computer. "What method of payment would you prefer?"

I pulled out the credit card in my pocket - glad that Vergil had entrusted me with it before I'd left for Prosperity in the first place, and doubly glad that neither of us had remembered to exchange it. It came in very handy. While I was pressing in the pincode on the keypad, I saw a lean, handsome guy in a black suit approach from the corner of my eye. And then he just stood there, a few feet away from me, waiting, watching me.

Creep.

"Your payment has been processed," the receptionist smiled at me brilliantly and handed the card back, along with an access card with the Palace symbol imprinted on it. "Madame, this is Silias. He will be your personal butler for the duration of your stay."

"Whoa, hold up. I get a_ butler_?" I asked, startled.

"Do you have any baggage I can carry for you, madame?" he asked, making a slight bow in acknowledgement.

"Uh...no, I don't," I said, staring at him in shock. I realized I was going to start looking like a complete idiot if I idled any longer, and tried to regain my composure.

"Very well. I will show you to your suite, madame, if you will."

"Sure. Okay," I said, and trailed uncertainly after him.

The lobby itself was something magnificent, with white marble columns stretching high to a glass dome ceiling, and potted exotic palm trees reached high toward it. I followed the butler down a corridor that led to an outside courtyard with a gold lion smack in the middle of it. He walked up to a set of ornate doors and stood aside, gesturing to me. I swiped my card, still gawking at my surroundings - and gawked some more when he opened the door to another entrance foyer.

"Your suite, madame," he announced.

"Holy crap," I mouthed, wandering inside. The foyer led to an open plan, spacious lounge with a plush corner sofa and a grand piano, and a dining area fit for a king. I skipped over to another door that led to the bedroom with a big round bed (with a canopy!), and an en-suite bathroom with white marble finishes.

"Do I get room service?" I asked, strolling over to the windows that overlooked a grand pool.

"Yes, madame, 24 hours."

"Good. I don't think I'm ever leaving this room," I said lightly. If this was the royal suite, what did the king suite look like, I wonder?

"I will call in again at dusk for your dinner, madame. Unless there is something you would require right now?"

"No, I'm good," I shook my head, unable to look away from the view.

"If you require my services, you may use the phone and dial 2."

"Yes, sir," I murmured, staring, and glanced over my shoulder when I heard the door open.

"Good afternoon, madame," he said, made another curtsy toward me, and then he was gone.

Shit. I wonder how much this totaled? I hadn't paid the numbers much heed - maybe I should have? I went over to the phone and read the instructions to place an outside call, and dialed the lodge. Lorry picked up on the second ring.

"Hey, I'm here," I said, and noticed that I even had my own room phone number, engraved in gold across the phone itself. I recounted the number to her, and hesitated for a second. "Did Vergil ask where I'd gone?"

"Yes, he did. I didn't tell him anything. I told him you asked me not to."

"Really? Good. Okay. Well, will you tell Dante when he phones where he can find me, please?"

"I told you I would, Cora. Have fun."

I knew, even as I hung up the phone, deep down in my gut I knew Lorry was lying. Vergil was intimidating, at best. If he hadn't scared her enough to get the information out of her, he'd have been slick tongued enough to get her to let it slip. This was not good. Then again, he wouldn't come after me. Not if he really cared. Not if his intentions were genuine.

I dined in that night, and ordered a gourmet pizza. I was munching down on it, enraptured with a series rerun of an old favourite cartoon on the large flat-screen TV when the phone's shrill ringing cut through the large space. I uncurled from the bed and skipped to the lounge. I put my slice of pizza on the glossy tabletop and wiped the grease from my hand before picking up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

I cradled the receiver between my ear and shoulder and sank down on the white leather sofa. "Hey," I said and picked up my slice. "So you got my message then?"

"Obviously, yeah. Vergil and I met up. We'll keep in touch through other means. He said that you'll email him."

"I did say that," I admitted, and wondered how I was going to do that. I didn't have any online accounts, and creating an email was a bit foreign to me.

"Have you got a pen on you? I'll give you his email..." Dante was saying. I despondently put my pizza back down and scribbled the name he gave me on a notepad nearby. "Get in touch with him. In two weeks we'll catch up again."

"M'kay," I muttered, and took a bite of my food. "So how come he didn't know about Mundus?"

"I don't know, how come did you know?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed through a mouthful. "It was kind of obvious when I went looking for Vergil in hell and found his stupid doppelganger was gone. Everything was chaotic."

"Hell is chaotic by nature."

"Even more chaotic than normal, then," I muttered and tried to scratch the invisible itch beneath my cast. I let out a frustrated growl and gave up. "What are you having for dinner?"

"Already had dinner."

"Oh. I've got pizza."

"I had that, too."

I chomped off another piece and snuggled back into the puffy sofa. "Do you know about Sparda?"

There was a drawn out silence on the other end. I finished my pizza and thought about going to get another piece. I sighed. Dante always got weird whenever I mentioned his dad, even when we were kids. "What about him?"he asked in a clipped tone.

"I know where he is."

There was another long silence. When Dante spoke again, I could hear he wasn't happy. "What do you mean you know where he is?"

"I don't want to upset you...but you should know why Mundus is out for my blood now."

"You mean it's not because you're a direct link to us?"

"Come on, who fed you that one? Vergil?" I could almost hear his fuming thoughts over the phone. I lowered my voice and picked my words carefully. "Mundus doesn't need me in order to find you. Maybe you're not aware of this, but Sparda's blood reeks."

"I don't stink."

"You don't understand, Dante. The demons who are against Sparda can smell him out. They can smell you out. That's how I tracked Karla down, remember?" I bit my lip and strained to hear any response from him. I waited for the dial tone to sing into my ear when I couldn't hear anything but empty air.

"Sparda's alive?"

"Yes," I said, and berated myself for sounding too light-hearted about it.

"Why didn't Vergil tell me this?"

"That's what I've been wondering all day. He didn't want me to tell you that he's been with me all this time, and at first I thought it was because he didn't want to upset you-" He let out a breathy-chuckle at that - "but then when you said that...that I should play along..."

"I knew you'd been with him when I saw you. You have this look in your eye when he's around."

"I have a look?" I asked, caught off guard.

"You were being vague. You're always vague when it concerns him. I knew he was up to something, I just... didn't know what," he continued on, ignoring my question. "It's clear he's using you."

"Using me for what, though?" I gave voice to the puzzle that just didn't want to click in place. "Why would he use me if... if... well why wouldn't he tell me in the first place that he knows Sparda is alive? I'm on your team, I want to help."

"Who knows? Probably the same reason why he hasn't said a word about this to me either."

"Which is what, genius?" I huffed.

"You said you know where Sparda is. He'll use you to get to Sparda."

"But how can he use me if it's something we both are after?" I asked.

"Did he psyche you into his plan?" Dante asked suspiciously.

"No, I'm pretty sure this was my plan before it was his idea."

"He's going to get rid of you, Cora."

I felt my heart drop. "Are you being funny?"

"Seriously, after what you done, you think he'd just let it slide?"

I searched for words, feeling the blood drain from my face. "I...he... he said we need to put it behind us. He said-"

"Vergil doesn't let go of a grudge until its dead."

"He seemed very convincing to me," I said weakly.

"That's because he's a sneaky bastard. He vowed vengeance on you the day Karla was born."

"Were you any different? He said that if he hadn't given me the cure when he did, you'd have killed me."

Dante let out a genuine laugh. I could see him shaking his head in my mind's eye. "Maybe I contemplated the idea on occasion after you disappeared back then...but it never crossed my mind until now. Don't worry," he said when I took in a sharp breath, "unless you become a demon again, I'm not planning on hurting you. Vergil is a whole different story, though."

"He really is psychotic, isn't he?" I asked, wondering if I'd locked the door.

"Aren't all geniuses a little nuts?" Dante said lightly. "Don't sweat it, babe. He won't do anything until he's got what he wants. If he's playing the game this way, he's unlikely to push you to breaking point. He's going to wait it out until you trust him enough to share your secret about Sparda."

"I told you it's not a secret, Dante, the whole demon world knows," I said. "That's why they're after me, remember?"

"Whatever."

"So what do I do now?" I asked.

"Like I said before, just play along. He's beat us at this game before. We're a bit wiser now than he thinks."

"He beat us before? Sorry. I don't even know when his games started, never mind when we lost."

"Does a holiday in Fortuna ring a bell?" Dante said scathingly.

I was happy right then that he wasn't around, because I couldn't stop the tears that jumped to my eyes. "Oh. That."

"Yes,_ that_. He wanted an heir, and you were the prime specimen at the time. The less human, the more powerful the heir."

I thought I was going to hurl my pizza all over the floor. I didn't want to talk about this - not even if it shed light on the matter once and for all. I didn't want to be reminded of that time.

"I figured you'd have connected the dots by now. He was tearing down the walls when your baby boy was born dead. He'd have ditched Karla if it hadn't been for me. She's a powerful little devil, but her blood will get soiled and altered. Men don't have that problem. We can carry down our lineage without destroying it in the process."

"Okay," I whispered, closing my eyes against the tears. That made sense of why Karla was so concerned about winning Vergil's approval all the time; why she sometimes had a look of panicked terror on her face when he wasn't pleased with her. Oh yeah, it all made sense now.

"He's not the touchy-feely kind of guy he's making himself out to be, Cora. Don't you get it?"

"I get it."

"You know that kid, Nero? On the Holy Knights squad? He's Vergil's, too."

I had no idea. I wiped at my tears angrily and then gripped the phone hard. "Okay,_ I get it._"

"If he fools you again, it's on you. I'm just sayin'..."

"Shut _up_, Dante," I choked out. I hesitated a split second before I slammed the receiver back into its hold. I just sat there sobbing until I had to flee to the bathroom where I got really, really sick.

My stomach muscles were aching and my eyes felt swollen thick by the time my tears ran dry. When I finally pulled myself together, it was to find that Silias had cleared away my dinner and left a bottle of expensive wine in a bucket of ice on my dresser. It was also sometime just past the midnight hour. I tried to cool my face with some water before I picked the phone back up and dialed for the butler. There was no ringing. Just a click, and then,

"Yes, madame, how can I be of service?"

"Can I get wi-fi in my room? And a computer?" I sniffed.

"Right away, madame."

The dial tone came over and I hung up. Not even five minutes later, there was a perfunctory knock on my door. I walked over and kept my head down when I opened it. Silias came inside with a slick white laptop in his hands.

"For you, madame."

"Thanks. Sorry it's so late," I mumbled and took it off him.

"It's a pleasure, madame. Goodnight." He turned and walked away, and I closed the door firmly.

I settled onto my bed and opened up the laptop. It signed me in without a password, and I got onto the internet without a hitch. I used the first email host that popped up online, signed up, and typed Vergil's address into the recipient box. Play along. May as well, if it meant I'd live longer.

I put a space in the subject line and typed nothing in the body, and clicked 'send'.

**MAIL SENT.**

I was copying down my own email address and password on the notepad when the laptop beeped at me. I frowned at the little red envelope that had appeared and clicked on it.

_Be online at this time two weeks from now._

The words refused to take hold in my mind, and I exited the account. I closed the laptop down dismissively and curled up on the massive bed, and let exhaustion take over.

* * *

...


End file.
